Vegans Sentenced to Life for Starving Baby
A vegan couple were sentenced Wednesday to life in prison for the death of their malnourished 6-week-old baby boy, who was fed a diet largely consisting of soy milk and apple juice. Superior Court Judge L.A. McConnell imposed the mandatory sentences on Jade Sanders, 27, and Lamont Thomas, 31. Their son, Crown Shakur, weighed just 3 1/2 pounds when he died of starvation on April 25, 2004. The couple were found guilty May 2 of malice murder, felony murder, involuntary manslaughter and cruelty to children. A jury deliberated about seven hours before returning the guilty verdicts.
Smart jury. This was a case of malice.
Defense lawyers said the first-time parents did the best they could while adhering to the lifestyle of vegans, who typically use no animal products. They said Sanders and Thomas did not realize the baby, who was born at home, was in danger until minutes before he died. But prosecutors said the couple intentionally neglected their child and refused to take him to the doctor even as the baby's body wasted away. "No matter how many times they want to say, 'We're vegans, we're vegetarians,' that's not the issue in this case," said prosecutor Chuck Boring. "The child died because he was not fed. Period."
They might have a defense if "vegan" also meant "retarded". Their actions sure make such a notion possible.
Although the life sentences were automatic, Sanders and Thomas begged for leniency before sentencing. Sanders urged the judge to look past his "perception" of the couple. "I loved my son - and I did not starve him," she said.
Horseshit. The article makes no mention of the child being premature, so I doubt his birth weight was three puny pounds. WHEN YOUR NEWBORN CHILD IS LOSING WEIGHT, YOU'RE DOING SOMETHING WRONG, VERY WRONG.
When the judge told the defendants they could ask for a new trial, Thomas hung his head low. "I'm dying every day in there," he said, "and that could take three years."