Delaware Doctor Accused of Waterboarding Eleven Year-Old Daughter
- Thread starter Tiassa
- Start date
It's very difficult trying to ascertain the girl's true version of what happened without crushing her under the intensity of questioning. There's a very delicate balance that has to be maintained. Her mental state is probably very bad right now. She may feel responsible for the severity of the police response. She is probably confused and disoriented. She may be very upset that she is separated from her parents. She probably misses her home, her sister (if they are separated), any pets she may have had, and her personal effects. All of this can put her into severe stress.
Yes, the defense attorney is claiming that the girl lied about a past incident. I wouldn't believe that attorney any more than the newspaper. There should be police and child services records if this actually ever happened. The problem here is, if the dad is a monster, then he may be trying to portray his daughter as a liar. On the other hand, if the records substantiate that this all happened, I would expect the following. I would expect to see that the parents referred their daughter to psychologists to help the girl reach the truth of what is actually troubling her. What if she was sexually abused, and then withdrew the claim to protect the person who molested her? I think the parents may have a chance to show their redeeming qualities by how they responded to this earlier crisis in the girl's life. If it was not sexual abuse, and she lied about it, then some other deep issue is at stake. In either case, a pediatrician, of all people, would be expected to go overboard to ensure that his daughter's mental health is being nurtured.
I suspect that she was actually dragged, because they would seem to need to have marks and abrasions to get the warrant to arrest him for that. But what if she had no marks? It would seem to mean that father dragged her rather gently. If so, I would think they would need to drop the charges altogether until they have some actual evidence of injury. These charges are supposed to be brought to a grand jury for preliminary investigation, but for some reason we have let the grand juries become rubber-stamps. If the child was injured, the grand jury should have demanded medical photographs and a doctor's report before authorizing the felony charges. I am assuming this never happened, only because, as I said, grand juries normally don't bother with their actual duty, deferring instead to their friends in the DA's office to use sound judgment before preferring charges.
I suspect that the parents did something, I'm just not convinced it was a felony. I'm not sure what it means for the child to complain now of having water up her nose long ago. Most lesser crimes have a statute of limitations. In Delaware child abuse may be exempt. One reason would be the difficulty children have in expressing themselves until they are older.
I certainly agree with you, R1D2, that there ought to be some therapy for all of the family. Think of the little 6-year old. Her family is gone. What a tragic situation for her.
Yes, the defense attorney is claiming that the girl lied about a past incident. I wouldn't believe that attorney any more than the newspaper. There should be police and child services records if this actually ever happened. The problem here is, if the dad is a monster, then he may be trying to portray his daughter as a liar. On the other hand, if the records substantiate that this all happened, I would expect the following. I would expect to see that the parents referred their daughter to psychologists to help the girl reach the truth of what is actually troubling her. What if she was sexually abused, and then withdrew the claim to protect the person who molested her? I think the parents may have a chance to show their redeeming qualities by how they responded to this earlier crisis in the girl's life. If it was not sexual abuse, and she lied about it, then some other deep issue is at stake. In either case, a pediatrician, of all people, would be expected to go overboard to ensure that his daughter's mental health is being nurtured.
I suspect that she was actually dragged, because they would seem to need to have marks and abrasions to get the warrant to arrest him for that. But what if she had no marks? It would seem to mean that father dragged her rather gently. If so, I would think they would need to drop the charges altogether until they have some actual evidence of injury. These charges are supposed to be brought to a grand jury for preliminary investigation, but for some reason we have let the grand juries become rubber-stamps. If the child was injured, the grand jury should have demanded medical photographs and a doctor's report before authorizing the felony charges. I am assuming this never happened, only because, as I said, grand juries normally don't bother with their actual duty, deferring instead to their friends in the DA's office to use sound judgment before preferring charges.
I suspect that the parents did something, I'm just not convinced it was a felony. I'm not sure what it means for the child to complain now of having water up her nose long ago. Most lesser crimes have a statute of limitations. In Delaware child abuse may be exempt. One reason would be the difficulty children have in expressing themselves until they are older.
I certainly agree with you, R1D2, that there ought to be some therapy for all of the family. Think of the little 6-year old. Her family is gone. What a tragic situation for her.
Is she on any medication?