Vegan parents guilty in infant murder

[cliffburton]

By BETH WARREN
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Published on: 05/02/07
 
The parents of a baby that died of starvation after being fed a vegan diet have been found guilty of malice murder, felony murder and first degree cruelty to children.

Jade Sanders, 27, and Lamont Thomas, 31, will get an automatic life sentence for the death of their 6-week-old infant, Crown. After being fed a diet largely consisting of soy milk and apple juice, he weighed only 3 1/2 pounds when he died.

The Fulton County jury deliberated the case for about seven hours.

Prosecutors said it was a chilling case of murder by starvation, a painful and prolonged death. Attorneys representing Sanders and Thomas told jurors the first-time parents did the best they could while adhering to their vegan lifestyle. Vegans typically live free of animal products.

"They're not vegans, they're baby killers," Fulton prosecutor Mike Carlson told the jury Tuesday during his closing arguments.

The couple's attorneys said they didn't realize their baby, born at home, was in danger until minutes before he died.


http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/atlanta/stories/2007/05/02/0502vegans.html

[SLCPUNK]

(Insert hunting picture here.)

[DarkFairy]

oh for crying out loud! how is breastfeeding against 'veganism'?? 

[cliffburton]

oh for crying out loud! how is breastfeeding against 'veganism'

My point exactly.  Probably some extremist view that it was an unfair burden to the mother to have to breast feed her child and lose her perky tits.

[SLCPUNK]

I think losing your child out of ignorance is punishment enough. They aren't helping society by throwing them in jail.

Edit: But there has to be more to the story.

[AxlsMainMan]

You should have to take a test to be a parent.

Very unfortunate story

[DarkFairy]

it says he was born at home so... I guess they never went to the doctor? 

[Doc Emmett Brown]

According to this new story, the parents really do seem ignorant to the point of horrific stupidity.

http://www.11alive.com/news/article_news.aspx?storyid=96364

In the first case of its kind in Georgia, two vegan parents were convicted by a Fulton County jury Wednesday of starving their newborn to death.

Fulton prosecutors painted a grim picture of a newborn murdered by starvation. They said his parents kept only one bottle in the house, and only fed their son soy milk and apple juice.

Prosecutors said it was planned; that their vegan diet was just a ruse. They said 6-week-old Crown Thomas never stood a chance.

"Had the child received breast milk, had the child been adequately fed, he would be alive," said Fulton County prosecutor Michael Carlson.

But the defense and the parents -- Jade Sanders and Lamont Thomas -- said they did what they thought was best for their baby boy. They were vegans. They said soy milk and apple juice seemed like a reasonable alternative.

"They did what they thought was right," said the baby's grandmother, Carlyn Thomas.

Minutes after the verdict, the emotional father said, "We didn't starve my son to death. We didn't starve my son for weeks and weeks and weeks."

Jurors found both parents guilty of murder and child cruelty.

"In fact, the first time he ever saw a doctor was when he was brought dead on arrival to Piedmont Hospital in a state that was clearly beyond malnourishment, but starvation," said Carlson.

"You know we've been vegetarians," said Lamont Thomas. "We're against animal cruelty. So why would I be cruel to my son? We're against animals being burdened. Why would be cruel and burden him and try to drive around and do something with his body? We're going to jail for no reason."

Jade Sanders and Lamont Thomas face a mandatory life sentence in prison for the murder conviction. They remain in Fulton County Jail until sentencing next week.

[SLCPUNK]

I'm sorry, but it is utter (no pun intended) bullshit that these two parents are getting life sentences. They have to live with what they did for the rest of their lives-that is sufficient. I'd like somebody to explain to me how locking them up will keep us all safe? 

[Neemo]

i thought babies couldnt digest milk right away? they need formula or breast milk...you can get soy baby forumla...but you cant feed a baby milk until they turn 12 months and it has to be homoginaized and they also need a balanced diet

[cliffburton]

I'm sorry, but it is utter (no pun intended) bullshit that these two parents are getting life sentences. They have to live with what they did for the rest of their lives-that is sufficient. I'd like somebody to explain to me how locking them up will keep us all safe??

So we shouldn't penalize someone for being negligent?  Guilt isn't justification or an excuse from legal enforcement.  These two idiots tried to force their moronic and unhealthy lifestyle on a child who didn't have the ability to slowly wither away like real vegans.  I'm a staunch libertarian, so I have no desire to license people to have kids, but people like this make me question my beliefs.  The movie Idiocracy hit it right on the nail.  Dipshits keep breeding and will eventually weed out those who become educated and contribute something other than McJobs.

[SLCPUNK]

If their neglect cost them the life of their child then that is punishment enough. I'm tired of these overzealous prosecutors who think locking 'em up and throwing away the key solves anything. Just because they were stupid does not mean they aren't devastated by the loss of their child; I'm sure they are crushed by it. To waste tax payer money going after this couple as murderers is a fucking waste of time and money. They have been punished enough.

This whole thread is a joke anyway, you promote, condone and applaud the slaughter of children everyday, since when do you give a shit about "the children." Guess if they are brown and getting ripped to shreds with bullets, bombs, fire, then it's all good. Give us all a break here.....

[Gunner80]

I hope they feel hell behind bars!  Crazy people don't belong on the streets SLC!!

[cliffburton]

removed because the person it was directed towards didn't warrant a reply

[Dr. Blutarsky]

Humans were meant to have animal products in our diets.  Look at our teeth. Why do you think we have incisors?

[SLCPUNK]

I hope they feel hell behind bars!  Crazy people don't belong on the streets SLC!!

Nobody accused them of being crazy, just ignorant.

I was thinking about it, and if the baby died of starvation, then I doubt he was being fed much of anything.  I'm aware of children, usually very poor, who aren't given formula or breastmilk.  They don't develop well, but as long as they are given enough food, they don't die. 

Yes, that is what is missing. There has to be more to the story.

[Doc Emmett Brown]

Just because they were stupid does not mean they aren't devastated by the loss of their child; I'm sure they are crushed by it. To waste tax payer money going after this couple as murderers is a fucking waste of time and money. They have been punished enough.

I hear you, but at the same time, they were convicted because the jury belived the neglect was intentional (not just plain ignorance).  Without any additional information, we either speculate something is missing, or believe that the jury made the right decision. 


This news story reports that the mother did breastfeed the baby....just not enough.

Fulton prosecutor Chuck Boring said the verdict isn't a condemnation of veganism, a strict form of vegetarianism that doesn't allow the consumption or use of animal products. Instead, jurors believed prosecutors' assertions that the couple intentionally neglected and underfed the child and then tried to use the lifestyle as a shield.

"The vegan diet is fine," Boring said after the verdict in the Georgia case. "These parents lied about what they fed him. He just was not fed enough."

The mother initially told police she fed her baby organic apple juice and soy milk. But the soy milk containers in her apartment clearly state that soy milk is not to be used as a substitute for baby formula, her lawyer admitted. At trial, the mom said she also fed her son breast milk and soy milk formula.

Outside the courtroom, Lewis, the defense attorney, said he believes the parents unintentionally starved their child by feeding him apple juice that may have acted as a diuretic and blocked the absorption of nutrients from the soy milk, soy formula and breast milk. They never took Crown to a doctor because they feared hospitals were infested with germs, he said.

At trial, government witness and vegan expert Amy Lanou told jurors the child's health may have been compromised by his diet, but he should still have been alive if fed enough food.

Lanou, a nutritionist who authored the book "Healthy Eating for Life for Children," on raising children as vegans, said all parents should know that babies need adequate amounts of breast milk or formula.

Prosecutors Boring and Mike Carlson convinced jurors that the neglect was intentional.


Full article: http://www.infoshop.org/inews/article.php?story=20070503115113161

[GeraldFord]

I'm sorry, but it is utter (no pun intended) bullshit that these two parents are getting life sentences. They have to live with what they did for the rest of their lives-that is sufficient. I'd like somebody to explain to me how locking them up will keep us all safe??

Yeah, I have to agree with you. It's a sad, sad story and I feel very bad for the parents.

BTW, how was this murder, isn't manslaughter more accurate?

[Genesis]

Murder, plain and simple. I don't think people can be that ignorant and dumb as to not know they were not feeding the baby enough. They must have atleast asked somebody? The baby would have been crying his lungs out. Didn't that tell them he was not being fed enough?

I remember how small my sister's son was when he was born (premature, 31/2 pounds). He was a little bigger than the palm of my hand.

[SLCPUNK]

I hear you, but at the same time, they were convicted because the jury belived the neglect was intentional (not just plain ignorance).  Without any additional information, we either speculate something is missing, or believe that the jury made the right decision. 

I could only base my opinion on the initial article provided.

Do you believe the neglect was intentional?