OREGON
CITY, Ore. (AP) — Two members of an Oregon church that shuns
traditional medicine in favor of prayer and anointing the sick with oils
pleaded guilty Monday to negligent homicide and criminal mistreatment
in the death of their newborn daughter, who struggled to breathe for
hours as family and friends prayed over her but did not seek medical
care.
Sarah
Mitchell and her husband, Travis Lee Mitchell, had originally been
charged with murder by neglect and criminal mistreatment in the 2017
death of the premature baby. They each were sentenced to almost seven
years in prison, with credit for 13 months in custody awaiting trial and
credit for good behavior.
It
marked the fifth criminal case in Clackamas County, south of Portland,
involving the death of a child from the religious community known as the
Followers of Christ Church. Several members have been convicted of
crimes for failing to seek medical care for their children, including
Sarah Mitchell's sister and brother-in-law.
Sarah Mitchell's grandfather founded the church, which traces its roots to the Pentecostal movement of the late 19th century.
At
a hearing in Clackamas County Circuit Court, the Mitchells' defense
attorney, Stephen Houze, read from a statement saying, "Everyone in the
church should always seek adequate medical care for our children," The
Oregonian/OregonLive reported .
Sarah
Mitchell's father signed the statement, which will be prominently
posted inside the Followers of Christ Church for all to read, under the
terms of the plea agreement.
Senior
Deputy District Attorney Bryan Brock said the couple accepting
responsibility and issuing a public statement was a "landmark
resolution."
"These
are senseless and avoidable deaths, and we keep asking ourselves what
will it take" to convince others in the church to get the right medical
care for their children, Brock said.
The
Mitchells' other twin daughter, Evelyn, survived after a deputy medical
examiner called to the house for the other baby's death noticed that
she also was struggling to breathe.
The little girl is now 16 months old and has supervised visits with her parents in custody, the newspaper reported.
Sarah
Mitchell received no prenatal care and she did not know she was
carrying twins until she gave birth at her grandparents' house at least
several weeks early, prosecutors said.
The
church, which operates in Oregon and Idaho, has about 1,000 members and
is rooted in Pentecostalism, although it is not affiliated with any
denomination. Members believe in a literal translation of the Scripture,
which states that faith will heal all and if someone dies, it is God's
will.
The
church drew criticism in 1998 after The Oregonian analyzed the deaths
of 78 children buried in the church's graveyard since 1955. At least 21
could have been saved by medical intervention, the newspaper found.
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