FL - Woyah Andressohn, 6 mos, starved to death, Homestead, 14 May 2003

[Jeana (DP)]

Vegan neglect
A vegan couple, Lamoy and Joseph Andressohn, were cleared Monday in the death of their 6-month-old baby, who was severely underweight when she died in 2003. A jury found them guilty of child neglect, however, for malnourishing four other children.


http://www.courttv.com/home_news/index.html


I DO NOT BELIEVE THIS VERDICT. :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead:

 

[mysteriew]

The South Florida couple acquitted of manslaughter in the starvation death of their infant daughter will regain custody of their four other children.

Tuesday, a judge ruled that Joseph and Lamoy Andressohn could visit their children while they await sentencing on four counts of child neglect.

The judge also ruled that the Andressohn's children would be allowed to live with their parents after sentencing.

The couple's sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 15.
http://www.local10.com/news/5433392/detail.html

 

[Bobbisangel]

I'm in shock. They were found guilty of child neglect yet the judge says the children will be returned to them. Those boys are doing so well right where they are. They love going to school and having cooked food to eat. Now they have to go back to eating all uncooked food and being home schooled.

Any one with half a brain would know that there is something wrong with their baby if at six months she weighed less then her birth weight. Even a teenager would know that something wasn't right when the baby wasn't gaining weight. The expert said that if the baby had been taken to the doctor when it was determined that she wasn't gaining weight she probably could have been saved. But they didn't ever take her to the doctor. All the poor sick little thing got to eat was something in a bottle with wheat or something like that in it.

This couple have had another baby since their kids were taken away. That baby was also taken away after it was born. I really hate it that they get those kids back. One of the kids had ricketts. I wonder if the judge will lay down any rules....like they be supervised and the children watched to see that they are getting the nutrician that they need to grow healthy bones and bodies?

 

[vanillasky]

What a disgusting verdict. :furious:

 

[mysteriew]

The Homestead parents who fed their children only raw foods apologized in court Thursday, but maintained that the strict diet was healthy despite the death of their 5-month-old baby.

Andressohn and her husband, Joseph Andressohn, were acquitted of manslaughter charges in the malnutrition death of baby Woyah, but convicted of neglecting their four older children. The couple were in court Thursday to present evidence for Circuit Judge Stanford Blake to consider before sentencing them.

One of the attorneys representing the surviving children urged the judge to order the Andressohns to feed their kids a more substantial diet, if and when the family is reunited.

Circuit Judge William Thomas, who is hearing the family court case, has said he wants to reunite the family at some point in the future. He denied a state petition to terminate the Andressohns' parental rights.

Blake said he would sentence the Andressohns on Dec. 22.
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/13418990.htm

 

[mysteriew]

A Miami judge made a surprising departure from sentencing guidelines Thursday when he handed down 15 years of probation to a couple convicted of neglecting their children by enforcing a strict vegan diet.

Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Stanford Blake's decision to spare Lamoy and Joseph Andressohn a prison sentence paved the way for a reunion between the couple and their four children, whom they haven't seen since they were arrested in 2003 for the death of their 6-month-old daughter.

In granting the defense's request for a downward departure, Blake rejected Walker's argument that the crimes were not isolated incidents and that couple was unremorseful.

Walker said he will appeal the sentence because it went below the mandated guidelines.

Blake attached a number of conditions to the probation, including regular pediatrician visits for the children, parental counseling for the Andressohns and psychological counseling for the whole family.

"The probation conditions will micromanage the kids for the next 15 years, but basically, the parents have the key now," Blake told Courttv.com. "If they realize how serious this is, they'll take control of the situation. If not, they can tell their cellmates about it."

The couple must also reject their extreme "living foods" lifestyle and keep their children on a diet approved by a nutritionist, immunize them regularly and send them to public schools.
http://www.courttv.com/trials/andressohn/122205_sentencing_ctv.html

 

[concernedperson]

Well, this is something. People who impose irrational food styles on others can be looked at for further crimes.

 

[BillyGoatGruff]

I really do think there should be able to arrest and charge people for Criminal Stupidity. Lord knows, we seem to need such a law. As this case is a prime example of it in action.

 

[SewingDeb]

I really do think there should be able to arrest and charge people for Criminal Stupidity. Lord knows, we seem to need such a law. As this case is a prime example of it in action.

I vote that the judge who gave them probation and the kids back be the first one convicted under the new law.

 

[cappuccina]

...and give them to a family who will adopt them and raise them properly...

These people are bizarre and unfit parents...I don't give a damn if an adult wants to eat boiled newspaper, but kids need a balanced diet that includes meat, poultry fish and dairy products.

The hell with probation, just get these kids somewhere safe...