Child. Mother. Grandfather. One big happy family. Until religion got in the way.
The 49-year-old grandfather, Ronald Marquez, tried to perform an exorcism on the 3-year-old child. The exorcism involved choking the little girl. She was bloody, crying, and gasping for air.
The man held the girl in a headlock with one arm as he squeezing her torso with his other arm, causing her to gasp and scream, police said.
In the meantime, the 19-year-old mother was in the same room. She was just standing there, naked, holding a religious icon and chanting “something that was religious in nature.”
I’m not sure if she was on the daughter’s side or the grandfather’s side. Sky News says she was “struggling with” the grandfather. Though chanting something religious isn’t exactly helping your child. This article quotes police as saying “[the mother] was partaking in whatever ritual event they were trying to perform.”
A relative called the police. (Where the relative was, I don’t know.)
[The] relative reported she thought an exorcism was going on at the family home after one was performed two days earlier, police said.
There was a bed pushed up against the door. The police eventually got through that obstacle and Tasered the grandfather. It had no effect. Another officer used a stun gun and this time it worked. He lost his grasp on the child, and she ran away from him.
Marquez was placed in handcuffs after a struggle with officers and initially appeared normal, but then stopped breathing, [Sgt. Joel] Tranter said. He could not be revived and was pronounced dead at a hospital.
Good.
Police are considering filing charges against the mother.
Also good.
There’s probably a church and a pastor involved in this story at some level. And no charges will be filed against them, I presume. So it won’t be long until we hear a similar story.
Meanwhile, I’m waiting for the theistic crowd to chalk this up to insanity or superstition. Anything but religion.
(via Globalizati and Amused Muse)
[tags]atheist, atheism, religion, God, Ronald Marquez, Sky News, exorcism, Taser, Joel Tranter, church, pastor[/tags]
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