Minister guilty of child abuse for boy's exorcism death

[Blackaxe]

A jury found minister Ray Hemphill guilty of felony child abuse Friday after he suffocated an 8-year-old child during an exorcism at his strip mall-based church.

Hemphill, 47, faces up to five years in prison for his role in the death of Terrance Cottrell Jr., an autistic boy who died in August during an intense "spiritual healing" ritual at the Faith Temple Church of the Apostolic in Milwaukee. The sentencing was set for Aug. 18.

Jurors reached a verdict after about four hours of deliberations.

Hemphill stared wide-eyed at County Circuit Judge Jean DiMotto as she read the verdict, but did not speak or betray emotion. DiMotto set bail at $10,000, and Hemphill was handcuffed and led from the courtroom.

http://courttv.com/trials/exorcist/070904_verdict_ctv.html

[Dookus]

1. more evidence

that religion kills.

[Desperadoe]

2. It should have been Murder One

The only hope is that jailhouse justice will correct this oversight and this slimeball will never live to see the outside again.

"Hemphill stared wide-eyed at County Circuit Judge Jean DiMotto as she read the verdict...."

I bet his eyes get real wide when he meets his new roommate in prison.

[Jackpine Radical]

3. Not just his eyes.

[arcane1]

4. sigh, it's 2000-fucking-FOUR and we still believe in evil spirits...

to the point of killing children over them

:evilfrown:

words escape me

[UpInArms]

5. so when do we start drowning witches again? ..... eom

[AndyTiedye]

6. MURDER!

This "faith healer" said he would "exorcise" this child's autism.
This consisted of covering the child completely with a sheet,
like a corpse. This element of their ritual seems very significant
as to its intent.

Then he crushed the boy to death.

The child's desperate struggles to try to save himself
were claimed to be signs of demonic possession,
and that "possession" was "cured" only when the child's struggle ended with his death,
at which point he declared that God had taken Terrance and he was at peace now.

This was the ritual murder of a disabled child, nothing less.