Neumann Guilty of Second-Degree Reckless Homicide May 22, 2009

Neumann Guilty of Second-Degree Reckless Homicide

By Guest Contributor
May 22, 2009

Not that there’s any good news to be found when a young girl dies because of her parents’ religion, but at least a bit of justice has been served on behalf of Madeline Kara Neumann.

Her mother was found guilty of second-degree reckless homicide.

The crime is punishable by up to 25 years in prison. No sentencing date was set and Neumann remained free on bond.

Neumann declined to comment after the verdict was announced.

…

Prosecutors said a reasonable parent would have known something was wrong with Madeline. They said her mother recklessly killed her by ignoring obvious symptoms, such as her inability to walk or talk.

The sentencing will come soon. The appeal will come soon. This case isn’t officially over.

If anything good can come of it, it’s that parents who are thinking about using prayer to heal their children instead of something that actually works might think twice.

Maybe.

*sigh* Yeah, they probably won’t. Nothing will change, will it?

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  • If anything good can come of it, it’s that parents who are thinking about using prayer to heal their children instead of something that actually works might think twice.

    No they won’t because no matter what happens, it will always be God’s will, ugh…

  • creamcicle

    from the article:
    quote
    Neumann’s stepfather, Brian Gordon, said his stepdaughter did nothing wrong in trusting in God to heal her daughter.

    “We should have that right in this country,” he said.
    /quote

    eep!

  • Reckless

    That poor woman. First she loses her daughter, and now she’s probably going to jail for it, all because she was brainwashed at an early age into believing this nonsense. *shakes head*

  • re: the “we should have that right” thing – Sure. You have the right to do whatever you want. And we have the right to imprison you for it.

  • weaves

    If even one parent reconsiders this “faith healing” over practical healing because of this woman’s punishment, I consider that something good has come of this.

    Hopefully she will serve as a warning to those who recklessly endanger children when simply solutions are out there.

  • Devysciple

    Yes, a lot of things are going to change. People will someday (in the distant future, I presume) drop their ridiculous superstitions…

    …in order to dash off to a different set of at least equally ridiculous superstitions. Let’s face it: Among any given number of people at any given place or time, there is a constant level of stupidity.
    Unless we find a way to circumvent evolution, this will remain true for a long time, especially since stupidity is not necessarily making an individuum less fit. Thus, it may even remain a human quality for as long as humanity exists.

  • Skepticat

    I hate to say this but I think it will make these people even more convinced that they are being persecuted and that they have a mission from God to “restore” America.

    We aren’t dealing with people who understand logical consequences or can rationally adapt to situations. We are dealing with blind faith which is dangerous indeed.

  • Mazz

    No sentencing date was set and Neumann remained free on bond.

    I’m not a lawyer or anything but shouldnt people that have been convicted of reckless homicide be in jail awaiting sentencing and not out free? If Bernie Madoff had to sit in jail because of being a flight risk shouldnt this lady be in jail too? I know if I thought I’d be going to prison for a long amount of time for actions leading to the death of my daughter I’d think seriously about running. Why the special treatment?

  • anonymouse

    That whole “right to believe/practice” ENDS when you negatively affect someone in such a drastic way that they DIE. Your “religious freedom” doesn’t go so far as to take away from (obviously) the LIFE of an innocent child, but also the bodily integrity of one. This is absolutely disgusting to me.

  • “symptoms such as her inability to walk and talk” WTF! How about symptoms such as losing all of her body fat? Drinking constantly? Peeing constantly? Complaining to mommy that she doesn’t feel well? Generalised weakness?

    That mother should be drawn and quartered. She’s a hideous excuse for a human being, selfish and completely deluded.

    When I was 2 my mother realised something was wrong with me. I had no body fat (looked like one of those concentration camp victims), was drinking anything and everything I came across, wet my bed, as well as peed all day. It took 18 months for them to diagnose my diabetes and in the meantime I suffered unimaginable torment. I hope that mother dies a hideous, painful, protracted death and everyone sits back and watches her. She’s the embodiment of evil. Religion or no religion.

  • AnonyMouse

    Are you kidding? This is getting “persecuted for your beliefs”. Christians live for this kind of stuff.

    If anything, it’ll encourage the little blighters.

  • Ash

    Reckless;

    That poor woman. First she loses her daughter, and now she’s probably going to jail for it, all because she was brainwashed at an early age into believing this nonsense. *shakes head*

    so when do we advocate/abolish responsibility?
    there has to come a point when we recognise someone (generally when they choose authority over their own reproductive system and, once followed, possibly more importantly, what comes of it) as accepting liability for the life they have chosen to accept responsibility for.

    Previous indoctrination is only an excuse for so long; and for me it doesn’t follow that you get to ruin someone else’s life because yours was lacking.

  • Reckless homicide? 25 years? The charge of reckless homicide has a sentence often much smaller than 25 years. So what happens once is it officially determined that faith is considered by legal definition, to be reckless? Will we all [enjoy] what Jim Bohannan called America . . . “heathen heaven?”