Praying Parents Charged in Child's Death

Dale and Leilani Neumann, parents of Madeline Kara Neumann, were charged with second-degree reckless homicide, Marathon County District Attorney Jill Falstad announced. If convicted, the couple could be sentenced to up to 25 years in prison and a $100,000 fine.

Madeline Kara Neumann,11, of Weston, Wisconsin died of diabetic ketoacidosis. Her parents, believed so strongly in the power of prayer, that they refused to seek medical attention for their daughter until it was too late to save her life. Read the entire story here.

A copy of the police investigation into Kara's death is available here

District Attorney Jill Falstad in preparing the charges against the Neumanns looked at the "progression of the illness" and the response of the parents:

"By that Saturday (the day before the girl's death) you had an 11-year-old child who wasn't eating, so she wasn't getting any nourishment, she wasn't taking in any fluids, she wasn't walking, she was struggling to get to the bathroom," Falstad said. "She really was very vulnerable and helpless. And it seemed apparent that everybody knew that. As her illness progressed to the next morning being comatose . . . it just is very, very surprising, shocking that she wasn't allowed medical prevention (attention).

"She had a disease that was treatable and her death could have been prevented," Falstad said.

[youtube=http://youtube.com/watch?v=hfMsAgNdGno]

The Neumanns are represented by their attorney, Gene Linehan, who declined to comment on the charges. However, it seems as if the Neumanns knew that their daughter was very sick but they were determined to heal her through prayer. Leilani Neumann said in a written statement to police that she never considered taking the girl, who was being home-schooled, to a doctor, even when her husband Dale made such a suggestion:

"We just thought it was a spiritual attack and we prayed for her. My husband Dale was crying and mentioned taking Kara to the doctor and I said, 'The Lord's going to heal her,' and we continued to pray," she wrote.

The Neumanns did reach out to the Unleavened Bread Ministries, founded by David Eells. In an email they requested that Eells pray for their daughter to be healed, which he did. Like the Neumanns, Eells says his church does not believe in medical intervention. Eells also wrote that the Neumanns have posted testimonials on their Web site but are not "'under' our ministry."

Falstad, the district attorney, said the case is likely to be precedent-setting in Wisconsin.

"There has been a great deal of discussion regarding the availability of a 'religious defense' in this case," Falstad said in a prepared statement to announce the charges. "In our nation, we have a constitutional guarantee of freedom of religion. We also give parents leeway in matters of child rearing. However, neither is absolute. In this case, it was necessary to weigh freedom of religion and parenting rights against the state's interests in protecting children."

Wisconsin state law appears to allow an exemption from child abuse charges for parents who engage in treatment by spiritual means through prayer. But the exemption applies only if the use of prayer alone is the basis for charges. Prosecutors say that exemption does not extend to homicide cases.

Austrian "Horror House" Discovered

Josef Fritzl, 73, of Amstetten, Austria had 14 children, seven by his wife, Rosemarie, 69, and seven by his daughter, Elisabeth, 42. Josef is now behind bars in what the Austrian press describe as the case of the house of horrors.

It all began 24 years ago in 1984 when Josef, an electrical engineer, kidnapped, drugged and imprisoned his 18-year-old daughter in the basement of their home in Amstetten, an industrial town 75 miles west of Vienna. He then told his wife that their daughter had run away from home. He kept her locked in a 540-square-foot prison of underground rooms, which he had previously built, some barely large enough to stand upright in. He had planned the dungeon meticulously and it was well soundproofed. The door to the prison was concealed behind shelves and secured with an electronic lock to which only Fritzl had the code.

While in captivity, Elisabeth Fritzl gave birth to the seven children by her father, one of whom died shortly after birth, which Josef disposed of in a furnace. Each time Elisabeth became pregnant, Fritzl delivered the children himself. Of the six remaining children he took three of them - Lisa, now 16, Monika, 14, and Alexander, 11 - out of the cellar after birth and came up with an elaborate charade to explain their sudden appearance to his wife. The other three children - Kerstin, 19, Stefan, 18, and Felix, 5 - were left to be raised by Elisabeth in his home-made dungeon.

Josef's 18-year imprisonment of his daughter came to an end when Kerstin became seriously ill and had to be taken to hospital. Medical authorities at the hospital became suspicious and called the police. Josef was picked up, and later under questioning, revealed the existence of the basement prison. Police freed Elisabeth Fritzl and the two other children, all of whom were quickly put in the care of medical and mental health experts. Elisabeth, although "greatly disturbed", agreed to give them a full statement - on condition that they made sure she would never have to see her father again. She claimed that she had been sexually abused by him since age 11. Fritzl appeared briefly in court and was sent to jail to await trial. He faces a15-year sentence if convicted of rape.


Senior police officer, Dr Franz Prucher, says the criminal case has shaken the force.

"We're being confronted with an unfathomable crime," Austria's interior minister, Günther Platter, said as the details began to unfold. "This case is one of incomprehensible brutality and horror, the most shattering and serious case of its kind that has ever come to light in Austria."

Questions were being asked by everyone from commentators and parents to psychologists and politicians, as to how what the Austrian press has dubbed the "house of horrors" case had come to happen in the small town of Amstetten.

"There are pressing questions raised by this monstrous crime which need to be put to a rich, self-satisfied society in which during a quarter of a century what was happening in the immediate vicinity went apparently unnoticed," Petra Stuiber wrote in a commentary in the Austrian liberal daily Der Standard.

"How is it possible that no one ever heard or saw anything, how can it be that no one ever asked questions?" she wrote. "What does it say about neighbors, relations, acquaintances and not least about authorities who had anything to do with the family, that the perpetrator succeeded in 'deceiving' everybody?"

Local social services told the Austrian Press Agency that there appeared to be nothing suspicious about the family and that Mr Fritzl managed to explain "very plausibly" how three of his infant grandchildren had turned up on his doorstep. Even his wife, Rosemarie Fritzl, "had no idea" what was going on, according to the police, and was devastated to hear of her husband's alleged crimes. She apparently accepted her husband's explanation that Elisabeth had run off to join a religious cult at the age of 18 - and that over the intervening years dumped three babies on their doorstep with notes saying she could not cope.

Amstetten's local governor, Hans-Heinz Lenze, told Austria's public broadcaster ORF that the children had had regular visits from social workers, who never heard any complaints or noticed anything to arouse their suspicions. He said they were well-behaved at school and fitted in well with their classmates. The three were apparently unaware of their mother's existence, let alone that their siblings Kerstin, Stefan and Felix were living below them. Mr Lenze also told ORF that Mr Fritzl had telephoned him last week and thanked him and the social services for looking after his family during his granddaughter Kerstin's illness.

Josef Fritzl, who does have a criminal record, is believed to have spent time in prison in the 1960s for the assault and also has at least one other conviction, for arson, according to Austrian police. Prosecutors are understood to be trawling through court records to find details of his previous offences to see if they shed light on what they have described as his "unfathomable" actions to his own family. The revelation he already has a criminal record will increase the anger that his behavior could have gone undetected by social services for almost a quarter of a century. It also indicates his wife Rosemarie must have been aware - at least to some degree - of her husband's sinister side.

Investigators are also desperate to determine how his victims could have been hidden away for so long from their neighbors and everyone else in the town, which has a population of just 23,000. They are said to be examining the padded walls of the cellar to work out whether the children's screams could be heard by neighbors.

Meanwhile, residents refuse to believe Fritzl could have acted alone, while others cannot believe that the "normal" family were hiding such a horrendous secret.

Anita Fabian, a teacher in the town, said: "How is it possible that no one knew anything for years? This was not possible without accomplices."

Guenter Pramreiter, who owns a bakery down the street from the Fritzls' home said the couple were regular customers.

"They appeared normal, just like any other family," he said. "I'm totally shocked. This was next door. It's terrible."

Teen Kills 4 Family Members

Nathaniel Casey Dickson, 18 of Easley, S.C. was arrested on Saturday, April 26, 2008 around 8:30pm. He is accused of killing 4 of his family members earlier that day.

Dead are: His father, Samuel Andrew Dickson, 46; Samuel Dickson's wife, Martiza Hurtado Dickson, also 46; her daughter, Melissa Jiliam Salazar, 19; and Taylor Alex Dickson, 14, son of Samuel Dickson and brother of the suspect. They all had lived in a tan and blue house at 153 Pine Lake Drive.

Nathaniel Dickson was arrested at a home in Belton about 20 miles from where the bodies of his family members were found. Anderson County Sheriff's spokeswoman Susann Griffin said investigators have not determined a motive for the killings and declined to say if the teen was cooperating with the authorities, but Sheriff David Crenshaw is confident that they have the right person under arrest:

"We are not seeking any other suspect in this case nor do we feel anyone else is in danger" Crenshaw said.

Nathaniel also has an older brother and step-sister who both live outside their parents home.

It all began when someone called 911 to report that it seemed as if someone had fallen out of their car. The paramedics arrived around 9:30am to find the body Nathaniel's father lying in the yard near the roadside. They called the police who entered the family home to find two dead women, one in a bed and the other in a chair. They also found the body of 14-year-old Taylor Dickson shot to death behind a clothes dryer where he was apparently trying to hide.

Nathaniel Dickson graduated from Wren High School last year and had moved out of the family home, but according to a neighbor, Melissa Funk, he had moved back just a few weeks ago. She said the teen played video games with her 16-year-old son and never appeared to cause any problems. Fred Gilbert, who has lived in the neighborhood for more than 20 years, said a man who lived at the shooting scene usually stayed in his yard. "He seemed like a guy that worked hard," Gilbert said.

The Dating Game

Ladies, have you ever been on a first date that you would like to turn into a second date........but it never happened? Are you confused, upset or just bewildered? Well Lauren Frances, author of "Dating, Mating and Manhandling: The Ornithological Guide to Men has some advice that may just well turn that first date into a second or third one....if you want it to!

"What happened? I'm so confused. At first, he seemed to really like me. He made reservations, picked me up, and took me to a fabulous restaurant. But for some reason, over the course of dinner, he became a little cold and distant. By the time he dropped me off, he seemed withdrawn and just sped off into the night. I haven't heard from him since! And I really liked him. I'm so bummed! What do you think happened?"

There are some simple rules, in fact 8 of them, that may lead to a satisfying first date and prospects for a successful second one. Below are Lauren's Cardinal First Date rules:

1. Don't be negative about dating.
   

Romance Rule: Be a romantic challenge, not a mental health challenge.

2. Don't get tipsy.
   

Romantic Rule: Always stay sober enough to remember how naughty you were the night before!

3. Don't talk badly about your exes.
   

Romantic Rule: We all have baggage. Keep it in the closet on first dates.

4. Don't spook your suitor.
   

Romantic Rule: Confidence is sexy! Sometimes, thoughts are for the inside.

5. Don't talk about your personal pet peeves.
   

Romantic Rule: You already know all about you. Keep your problems to yourself and get to know him.

6. Don't chase your date.
   

Romantic Rule: When men chase you, they're much less likely to fly away.

7. Don't keep squawking.
   

Romantic Rule: Remember, sometimes less conversation really is more.

8. Learn how to leave.

Romantic Rule: If you're on date number one and aren't having fun, release your date back into the wild immediately.

All these rules are explained fully by clicking this link. Lauren Frances also hosts "Man Magnet Radio" on Karma Air. She claims to be a celebrity love coach and coaches some of Hollywood's hottest stars, from Kate Walsh and Amy Brenneman to the steamy Slade Smiley and Jo De La Rosa.

Jean Pierre Orlewicz Guilty of Murder

Jean Pierre Orlewicz, 18, of Canton, Michigan, was found guilty of: First-degree murder, Felony murder and Mutilation of a corpse. The jury of eight men and four women deliberated for more than 10 hours over two days before coming to a unanimous verdict. He will be sentenced by Judge Annette J. Berry on May 16, 2008.

He had been charged along with his friend, Alexander Letkemann, in the killing of Daniel Sorensen, 26 on November, 7, 2007 in what had been called a "Thrill Kill". Letkemann pleaded guilty to second-degree murder April 1. He was sentenced to 20 to 30 years in prison in exchange for his testimony against Orlewicz.

Jean Pierre Orlewicz took the stand and admitted that he killed Sorenson but insisted that it was in self-defense. He admitted stabbing Sorenson 13 times after an extortion plan went awry and Sorenson threatened his life. "There was not a murder," Orlewicz testified. During his testimony Orlewicz also admitted that after Sorenson died, he used a hacksaw to decapitate him. He said he threw Sorenson's torso into a field and set it on fire. He also said he took a blowtorch to Sorenson's hands to cover up fingerprints. For more details on the murder, click here.

[wpvideo Yo8TJ41n]