Dorothy Dimitre has a column in The San Mateo Daily Journal about Pearl’s appearance in The Today Show and why spanking is bad for children: ‘Leave no marks!’
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RedditLarry Williams Returns to Jail
January 12, 2012 2 Comments
According to a report in the January 7th, 2012 edition of the Skagit County Herald (only available in print or by paying for the “e-edition”), some of Larry Williams family members delivered Christmas gifts and letters from Larry to four of the children who are fostered by their aunt and uncle. There is a court order in place: Larry and Carri Williams are both prohibited from contacting their spouse or their any of their children. In addition, the judge ordered them not to contact the foster parents.
No-contact order violations can occur if the prohibited party contacts the protected party, or asks a third party to do so on his/her behalf. Apparently Larry felt that it was okay for his mother (a third party) to deliver items to his children. Along with some Christmas gifts were letters to the children. One of them contained modified Bible verses from the book of 2 Timothy, where apparently Larry substituted his name for Apostle Paul’s and his children’s names in the place of Timothy. The prosecutors argued that Larry was “framing himself as a martyr to his children” and the judge told him he had violated the order and raised his bail back up to the original amount of $500,000. The attorney of Carri Williams successfully argued that she had nothing to do with the gifts or letters, so she was not considered to be in violation of the order. According to the defense attorney, Larry’s mother “over-stepped her boundaries” and the children were not supposed to know that the gifts were from their father. An inmate roster check at the Skagit County Jail shows that Larry was once again booked into custody.
I do not know the details of the no-contact orders, but in my mind there are two possible explanations for why Larry violated the law: 1) Larry lacks common sense and didn’t know any better; or 2) Larry willfully defied the judge’s orders. Let’s say that the court is okay with Larry showering his children with gifts (in spite of the no-contact order) as long as they don’t know they are from him. I’m seriously doubtful of that theory, but let’s pretend that is the case. So Larry purchases the children some very nice gifts and thinks that as long as his mother delivers them and just says they are from “Santa”, all is good.
But there is a problem. You may be able to explain the gifts away as plain ignorance, but what is the explanation for the letters to the kids where he where he substituted himself in place of Apostle Paul? I certainly don’t think that was an accident. I have not seen the letters and I do not know specifically what they contain, but I believe Larry was attempting to pointedly communicate to his children. It is possible that the verses included in these letters were those that encourage Timothy (the children) to remain “faithful” not only to God, but also to Apostle Paul (Larry) and/or contained verses in which Apostle Paul (Larry) describes that he is being punished for his innocent actions because of religious persecution. I believe that the defendant probably has a very twisted version of reality in which he sees himself as a man who was living in the way that God expected him to, yet has been wrongfully imprisoned for it. By substituting himself for Apostle Paul, Larry seems to be stating that he too is a righteous victim of religious persecution and pending martyrdom.
I doubt there is any mention of Hana in these letters, but if Larry’s opinion is the same as his spouse’s, then I believe that it’s fair to conclude that they both think that Hana “killed herself” because she was ”passive-aggressive” and “rebellious”. As difficult as it is for me to comprehend, Larry and his wife both may really think that the true victim in this case (Hana) perished because she refused to be cooperative or obedient. Either that, or possibly it is Larry and Carri’s ”cover story” or alibi about what happened to Hana and the other adopted child in their home.
In my opinion, Larry wrote those letters because he wanted his children to believe that he has been wrongly accused, and he was also trying to persuade them to refuse to testify about the abuse they saw inflicted upon Hana and her little brother. If this is the case, it is likely that the children would have felt emotionally torn between telling the truth or protecting their father. That is an extremely manipulative and unfair thing to do to a child. Does this man think he is entitled to violate the order because mere human laws do not apply to him, because he is obeying a higher law? Or is he just lacking the common sense to understand the orders that the judge issued to him in a court of law?
At the end of the day and regardless of the reason, Larry defied the court order. He did this by having his mother help him. I cannot say what his mother’s motives were. Perhaps she was completely unaware that her participation would be viewed as a violation and that her son would be sent back to jail. Perhaps she knew it wasn’t “completely” legal, but made a choice to do it anyways because this is her son, and she will always love him, unconditionally. I am sure the last few months have been terrible for the entire family, and I am sure they are hoping that the accusation of homicide is just one big misunderstanding. Unfortunately, Hana Williams is dead, and her horrific suffering and tragic death make it difficult for most people to believe it was an accident. I hope this family will be able to accept the likely outcome of the trial.
Lastly, I want to applaud the aunt and uncle who refused the gifts and contacted the court to let them know that the order had been violated. They had the courage to come forward and report this to the authorities. I’m sure it was extremely painful, and I’m sure they wished that they didn’t have to do something that would put Larry (who is part of their family as well) back in jail, but they did the right thing. I am so grateful for that. Thank goodness these wonderful and brave people showed us all that there is still hope for truth, honesty and justice in the world.
Motion Denied in the Hana Alemu “Williams” Case
January 6, 2012 Leave a Comment
The Skagit Valley Herald reports that a Motion was denied to suppress investigative photos in Hana Williams death case. The Williams did not give poor Hana any rights to privacy while she was alive and now they claim to want to protect her privacy. It looks to me like it’s really themselves they want to protect. I applaud Judge Susan Cook for seeing through their weak arguments.
Schatz Story #1 in the Paradise Post for 2011
December 31, 2011 Leave a Comment
The Paradise Post has released their top 10 news stories for 2011 and at the top of the list is the story about the Schatz couple pleading guilty. They mention that they case has remained in the news since.
Pearl has garnered a lot of interest this past year, being on Anderson Cooper (on both CNN and Fox) as well as NBC’s Today Show. It is my hope and prayer that as he gains notoriety, more and more people will see the dangers in his teachings and will avoid them. I also pray that those who continue to see good in his teachings will be more careful not to take them to a dangerous extreme.
I wish you and yours many blessings in the New Year. <3
Text of “To Train Up A Child” Removed
December 29, 2011 7 Comments
Up until now we have been linking to http://www.achristianhome.org/to_train_up_a_child.htm in order to find the entire content of the book “To Train Up A Child” by Michael and Debi Pearl. This allowed us to verify quotes and keep them in context. But now the site owner has removed the text of the book and replaced it with an explanation of why.
An article in the Los Angeles Times understood her removal to mean that she disavows the book. I don’t get that at all from what she said. It looks to me like she no longer wants to promote the book because she feels that people are misusing it and using her site in order to do so. She says in part.
…I want it to be known that I do not blanketly endorse this book) and thus have removed the content (the text of the book) from this page for this reason alone – so that no one will read excerpts of the book and think they know what the whole context is.
This, frankly confuses me. The excerpts are already out there and it was her text which provided context. Without the context, all that is left are the quotes on other pages and the useless link which provided the proof and the context.
I can totally understand why she would want to distance herself from those teachings yet, she seems to continue to defend them, claiming that people are misconstruing and misusing them. The best I can conclude is that she agreed with some of the teachings, but not all of them and she has finally realized that not everyone “simply gleaned things in it that were of value.”
QuicksilverQueen has posted the text here.
Pearl on NBC’s Today Show
December 28, 2011 2 Comments
Michael Pearl and The Spanking Controversy were featured on NBC’s The Today Show this morning.
If anyone is unable to see the video for whatever reason, this article is pretty much a transcript of the show.
Also see this article from NBC which contains most of the story as well as the video clip.
The Los Angeles Times also reports on this story.
The Dangerous Mindset
December 6, 2011 Leave a Comment
Elizabeth Esther explains the mindset which causes a lot of the damage in the Pearl’s teachings in If it feels good, it’s sinful.
Cindy at Under Much Grace reminds us, “Barring some other major news event that bumps the story, Michael Pearl is slated to appear on NBC’s Today Show sometime between 8 and 11 AM tomorrow, December 7th, to discuss the controversial child abuse deaths linked to his book, To Train Up a Child.”
Cindy also discusses the question, Pearl’s Parallels to the Milgram Study.
The Anderson Show has run in all areas of the country and I have yet to find more than clips of it. The entire show is not much more than the clips, but it would be really nice to have it all in one place and in context. If anyone recorded the show, please post it on YouTube and send me the link. I will update this request when I have more info.
AC360 Continues to look at Ungodly Discipline
November 25, 2011 1 Comment
On Friday Nov 25, Anderson Cooper continued his look at Ungodly Discipline. Here is the video and here is the transcript.
Also, here is more about Spanking in Christian Schools aired on Dec 1, 2011.
‘Marriage for Today’ Hosts Defend Michael Pearl’s Teachings.
November 16, 2011 6 Comments
An article in The Christian Post reports that ‘Marriage for Today’ Hosts, Rev. Mike Fox and his wife, Trisha, have been using the Pearls’ teachings to raise their daughter and are scheduled to appear on CNN to defend Michael Pearl.
Because Christians did not stand up and condemn the dangerous teachings of the Pearls, they ended up in the public eye. I had always had a policy of keeping them a secret from non-believers and focusing on Christians, but once the third child died, the proverbial cat was out of the bag. I do not make a habit of linking what the non-believers say about Pearl since they do not make arguments which are relevant to Christians, however, when the Washington Post reports on the Pearls I figure that is of interest as it is part of mainstream news. I see many more in smaller papers to which I do not link, but a simple Google search will find if you are interested. Some search terms to use would be, “Pearl Controversial book” or “Lydia Schatz Pearl”
Update: The ‘Marriage for Today’ Hosts have a new article on The Christian Post about their appearance on Anderson (aired Dec 2, 2011). The comments on this article are very interesting. I agree with many of the commenters that it is very unusual for a pro-spanker to quote someone from the Christian Domestic Discipline movement to give credibility to their arguments.
The Heart of the Matter
November 15, 2011 2 Comments
Rachel Miller, who blogs at A Daughter of The Reformation, discusses her concerns about the Pearls which go far being spanking or use of the rod and to The Heart Of The Matter.
Since the NY Times article about the Pearls, the story has gone all the way Down Under, as this story in The Sydney Morning Herald demonstrates.
Speaking of the NY Times article, here are the Letters To The Editor about it.
Also, QuicksilverQueen is still writing her detailed Book Review of To Train Up A Child and how it relates to the deaths. In this review she freely shares how being raised by these teachings affected her and what she was really feeling when her parents thought that she was joyously submissive. She has reviewed the first 3 chapters.
Where Did Pearl Say This?
November 14, 2011 3 Comments
In this interview in the National Post, Pearl is quoted as saying:
But, I have said many times, when a spanking is not working, stop doing it. There are times when children become so emotionally torn that they have ceased all cognitive activity. Spanking is then counterproductive.
Frankly, I don’t recall him every saying that. If he has published this sentiment, I would like to know where because this quote needs much exposure. His followers need to be aware that he says this because this could really make a difference in the life of some children and maybe even save a life. Although, it is still rather vague, it is a step in the right direction.
Edited to add: Apparently Pearl was referring to this article where he said
You should not spank beyond your fellowship with the child. If you feel that your spanking is excessive, it is because it is not working. If it is not working to produce happy, creative kids, then you are missing one of the other elements we discussed. You have probably forgotten how to relax and enjoy your children. Or perhaps you have failed to train. The bottom line is that if other things are equal, and you give a child a spanking every time he needs it, the time will soon come when he will not need to be spanked so often, and eventually not at all.
More doublespeak. In the next breath he accuses them of failing to train properly and promises that if you are consistent things will get better. He have seen him accuse people of deliberately misunderstanding his meaning, but I really feel that he is vague and expecting people to make mental leaps which not all people are able to make.
Also, if anyone knows where he got these statistics which he quotes, I’d be interested. Was it from the research study or somewhere else?
Research has shown that the properly trained, nurtured and spanked child scores higher on all positive measures both as a child and as an adult. Spanking as part — a small part — of a comprehensive nurturing process instills self control and disciplined in a child, rendering him more emotionally stable and balanced as an adult. Every child was spanked up until Dr. Spock. Now only about 75% are spanked with no malice aforethought, and another 20% are occasionally spanked or hit by angry out of control parents that profess not to believe in it…
In his interview on AC360 Mr. Pearl mentioned the same research on spanking and Anderson Cooper delves deeper into that in another segment. Before linking I want to warn you that it opens with the very upsetting video of Judge William Adams beating his daughter. After that it recaps prior interviews with Michael Pearl and then moves on to Dr. Drew Pinsky and Po Bronson talking to Anderson Cooper about the science behind physically disciplining children. In The Science of Spanking, Anderson Cooper asks Dr. Drew Pinsky and Po Bronson what they think of the Pearl method and it should come as no surprise that they did not find it healthy in any way, shape or form.
The only problem with this interview is that they make a big point of discussing how spanking in anger is even more damaging. This will probably cause Pearl and most of his followers to argue that spanking without anger will cause no damage at all. They are so very wrong. But then of course, Pearl and his followers tend to discount science except for when it supports their beliefs so it’s probably a moot point.
The National Post Article on The Pearls
November 12, 2011 1 Comment
Samuel Martin has sent out the following request asking us to check out and respond to this article in the National Post. He gives a different link to the same story, but my link has photos and lives links.
Dear friends,
Best wishes from Jerusalem.
I would like to ask all of my friends, especially those in Canada, to visit the link in the following article:
http://www.nationalpost.com/todays-paper/pastor+striking+advice/5700731/story.html
- read it and then write to the article author -
- if you agree that we need to give additional attention and information about the Biblical arguements against corporal punishment.
Her excellent article gives a great deal of attention to Mr. Pearl and his views. I think it appropriate that the same attention be given to alternate views based upon high levels of scholarship held by Christians like Prof. William Webb, Prof. Dawn Devries, Emeritus Prof. I. Howard Marshall, Dr. Randall Heskett and myself as well as Jewish scholars like Rabbi Lawrence Kelemen, Rabbi Shlomo Wolbe (of blessed memory)), Rabbi Moses Feinstein (of blessed memory) or others in addition to what was mentioned in the article.
If you agree with that, I would appreciate it if you’d drop the author a message.
Thanks so much.
Samuel Martin
P O Box 21543
Jerusalem 91214 Israel
Website: www.biblechild.com
Email: info@biblechild.com
Discussing Pearl on “The View” and NY Times Story Spawns
November 8, 2011 1 Comment
ABC News has a story called Child’s Death Raises Questions About Biblical Disciplinary Teachings which includes testimony of someone who was raised under Pearls’ teachings and how it affected her under a video of the discussion of Pearls’ teachings on the View.
The NY Times story has spawned many blog posts and articles. Most of them are just brief summaries so I will not bother to link, but a number of them are worth a look.
Amy Graff of the San Francisco Chronicle posts Godly spanking turned deadly: Is a Tennessee pastor to blame?
Lorraine Dusky posts on the First Mother forum, Adopted children killed by their parents as they “train” them .
Gwen Dewar, Ph.D. of Baby Center posts Deadly abuse inspired by preacher’s “training” manual?
Koa Beck of Mommyish posts Parents Demand Abusive Childrearing Book Be Pulled From Amazon.
Allison Summers of The Christian Post posts Texas Judge ‘Beating Video,’ Child Rearing Book Spur Debate on Discipline Versus Child Abuse
and to balance it out they also published Evangelical Preacher Defends Child Training Methods Reportedly Linked to Deaths by Luiza Oleszczuk.
Margaret Hartman of Jezebel posts Pastor Still Advocates Using ‘The Rod’ After Third Child Dies
C.L. Dyck of Scita Scienda gives her Thoughts on the New York Times and Mike Pearl.
David Usborne of the New Zealand Herald posts Focus on preacher after children die.
There is an interesting discussion on the NY Times article in the Snopes.com forum. (If linking to this thread in anyway violates any forum rules, please message me at hermanalinda@whynottrainachild.com)
Tony W. Cartledge of Baptist Today News Journal posts Spare the hose?
The Week.com summarizes the debate using many of the previous links in To Train Up A Child: The book that’s leading parents to kill?
Yep, the news is really going mainstream and people are talking about it, which makes for some Intense Conversations as Leslie in Costa Rica discovered and posted about on her blog, Real Child Development.
New York Times on The Pearls
November 7, 2011 1 Comment
Erik Eckholm of The New York Times has written a well researched and carefully balanced article about the Pearls called Preaching Virtue of Spanking, Even as Deaths Fuel Debate. Unfortunately, in his effort to be balanced, he really didn’t warn against the Pearls’ teachings at all. The comments are many and one of them links to my site, for which I am grateful.
Michael Pearl Interviewed on CNN
October 27, 2011 45 Comments
Michael Pearl was interviewed by Anderson Cooper on this video. Here is the transcript, it’s about half way down. His double speak is very obvious here.
In case that link ever is removed, Chucklestravels has posted it http://chucklestravels.wordpress.com/2011/10/28/showdown-on-cnn-anderson-cooper-interviews-michael-pearl-transcript/
Hana “Williams” Story on CNN
October 26, 2011 Leave a Comment
Gary Tuchman of CNN covers the case of Hana Alemu (legally Hana Williams as she was adopted by Larry and Carri Williams) on A360 in Ungodly Discipline. They plan to look closer at the book, To Train Up A Child by Michael and Debi Pearl.
The next day they featured an interview with Michael Pearl. Here is the transcript. The part in question is about half way down.
Also on CNN, Dr. Drew interviews Michael Pearl about his book, To Train Up A Child, in an episode called, Preaching discipline that can kill? This video seems to be just an excerpt. If I find the entire show, I will replace the link.
Slate Looks at the Pearls Book
October 21, 2011 Leave a Comment
J. Bryan Lowder of Slate Magazine read the Pearls’ book in order to answer the question, Did the Disturbing Philosophy of To Train Up a Child Lead to Hana Williams’ Death?
Carri Williams’ 911 Call Released
October 13, 2011 3 Comments
Komo News reports on the 911 call that Carri Williams made to report Hana’s death in Charged mother of dead teen: ‘ I think my daughter killed herself‘. See link for video. Story pasted below for permanence.
SEDRO-WOOLLEY, Wash. — Hana Williams died of hypothermia after she was starved and abused, according to the Skagit County prosecutor.
But during the 911 call made while Williams was on the ground, unconscious, her adoptive mother claimed it was the girl’s own rebellious and self-destructive attitude that led to her death.
“Yes, I think my daughter killed herself,” Carri Williams told the 911 operator.
When asked why she thought that was the case, Williams answered, “She’s really rebellious and she’s been outside, refusing to come in. And she’s been throwing herself all around, and then she collapsed.”
It was May 12, a chilling 40 degrees and raining. Police learned 13-year-old Hana Williams had been in the backyard of her Sedro-Woolley home for half the day.
911 Operator: “Is she breathing?”
Carri Williams: “I don’t think so, no.”
911 Operator: “How old is your daughter?”
Carri Williams: “I don’t know. We adopted her almost three years ago.”
911 Operator: “You don’t know how old she is?”
Carri Williams: “She’s somewhere between the ages of 14 and 16.”
Prosecutors have charged Carri Williams and her husband, Larry Williams, with homicide by abuse, but the Williams claim their daughter was acting out and refused to come inside.
“She was throwing herself all over the gravel, the yard, the patio,” Carri Williams said. “We went to bring her in. My sons tired to carry her in, and she took her clothes off.”
But court documents state Carri and Larry Williams had forced the girl to spend the day outside as a form of punishment. Detectives say the girl led a hellish existence, often starved, beaten and locked in a dark closet for hours.
The girl’s brothers dragged her into the house, and the 911 operator coached Carri Williams through CPR. Hana Williams had a lump on her head, and was covered in blood, and investigators believed marks on her body were from repeated whippings.
Carri Williams insists the girl killed herself.
“She’s very passive-aggressive…I don’t’ know how to describe it,” she said.
A witness told investigators the parents took their discipline cues from a controversial book that recommends withholding food and putting children in cold weather to punish them. The Williams’ eight other children have been taken into protective custody.
The two suspects have been released on bail, and have refused to comment.
A Closer Look At The Pearls’ Teachings and Adoption
October 8, 2011 6 Comments
Christine Minich takes a look at The Pearls’ Teachings in:
The Disturbing World of The Pearls in which she looks at Doublespeak and Definitions as well as some examples of his abusive teachings.
and The Disturbing World of The Pearls Part 2 in which she takes a look at their heretical Theology.
Also, TulipGirl tries to shed some light on the underlying philosophy of the Pearls’ Teachings with On The Pearls And Parenting, Once Again.
The Toronto Sun has an article about the Pearls’ Teachings in Was child abused to death due to advice from book?
Missizzy posted a Recipe For Disaster on the Websleuths.com message board which explains that happened to Lydia and Hanna. You might be interested in the rest of the conversation, it is really quite interesting. I hope it is ok for me to link to this. If anyone objects, please email me at hermanalinda@whynottrainachild.com and I will remove this entire paragraph.
I also thought I’d mention this post from Civil Thoughts about Adoption Education because that is so important.
The Williams Plead Not Guilty
October 6, 2011 4 Comments
This has hit the news big time, I will share a few of the stories here for you.
From KIRO TV Channel 7 Oct 6, 2011 and containing a video: Couple in abuse death of teen daughter make first appearance
King 5 News aka NWCN.com has posted the following news article which I will copy here for permanence
Skagit County couple pleads not guilty in death of adopted daughter
by KING 5 News
NWCN.com
Posted on October 6, 2011 at 10:38 AM
Updated today at 12:11 PM
MOUNT VERNON, Wash. — A Sedro Wooley couple accused of torturing and starving their adopted 13-year-old daughter to death pleaded not guilty in court Thursday.
A judge set bail at $150,000 each for both Carri and Larry Williams. Investigators believe the couple repeatedly starved and beat Hana Williams, a girl they adopted from Ethiopia, and charged both with asasult of a child and homicide by abuse.
Hana was found dead in her backyard on May 12, naked and wrapped in a sheet. She had been living with her adoptive parents since coming to America from Ethiopia in 2008.
After months of investigation, her adopted parents were charged in connection with her death.
Skagit County Prosecutor Richard Weyrich said Hana Williams’s death ranks right up there for one of the worst cases he’s ever prosecuted.
In the charging documents, Carri Williams talked about how much she disliked her two adopted Ethiopian children, a 10-year-old boy and Hana.
“She died of hypothermia and you know part of that is having lost so much weight over the past year, months…she had lost 30 pounds,” Weyrich said.
According to charging documents, Carri and Larry Williams starved Hana for days, put her in a locked closet, shower room and forced her to sleep outside in the barn in the cold. She wasn’t allowed to use the bathroom in the house, instead, she used a porta-potty behind the barn. In addition, Hana was struck daily with a plumbing tool, a tube with a round ball on the end.
Members of Seattle’s Ethiopian community want justice.
“She’s a child whose life was trusted in their hands,” said Azeb Aberra, Ethiopian Community Mutual Association. “And they broke that trust and so it’s heartbreaking to hear this.”
Larry Williams is a 26-year employee with Boeing. He is currently on unpaid leave.
All of the William’s biological children and adopted son have been removed from the home.
Family members in the courtroom Thursday refused to comment.
The Komo News has the following article:
Couple pleads not guilty in homicide of adopted daughter
By KOMO Staff Published: Oct 6, 2011 at 11:03 AM PDT
MOUNT VERNON, Wash. – The parents of an adopted girl who died of exposure in her own backyard after she had been starved and abused for months pleaded not guilty to the charges Thursday.
Larry P. Williams and Carri D. Williams of Sedro Woolley were arrested last week and later charged with homicide by abuse and assault of a child in the first degree in Skagit County Superior Court.
Each was ordered held Thursday on $150,000 bail.
According to court documents, the couple’s adopted daughter, Hana Williams, 13, was systematically starved, beaten, forced to use an outdoor toilet and sometimes locked in a dark closet for days by the Williams.
Hana Williams was found dead in May – naked, face-down in the mud in her own backyard – after she had spent much of a cold, rainy day outside as a punishment, according to court documents.
Although she died of hypothermia, there were other contributing causes to her death, including severe malnutrition and chronic gastritis, doctors said.
The Williams had adopted Hana from Ethiopia in 2008 as a diseased little girl to begin a new life in America.
Instead, according to court records, she was beaten, starved, forced to sleep in a barn at times and deprived of love and basic necessities.
Child Protective Services said there are reports that Hana had lost a significant amount of weight before her death. And the night she died, she was out in the yard naked on a rainy evening, with temperatures in the low 40s.
Further investigation revealed that Hana had a number of injuries on the night she died, including a large lump on the head, bloody marks and injuries “consistent with disciplinary impacts with a switch,” according to court documents released Friday.
Those same documents describe the hellish life that Hana endured in the months before her death – which included systematic withholding of food, forced times outdoors in the cold or locked in a dark closet, interspersed with regular spankings or beatings with a plumbing tool.
In interviews with the parents and other children in the household, investigators determined that the Williams withheld food from Hana as a punishment for being “rebellious,” court documents say.
In addition, Hana was forced to use an outdoor portable toilet behind the barn instead of the home’s indoor bathroom, and she sometimes was made to take cold showers while naked outdoors under a garden hose, the case file says.
The Williams told investigators that they made Hana use the outdoor toilet because she had hepatitis and they didn’t want any of their other children to become infected with the disease.
Other punishments included locking Hana inside a dark closet for hours or days without food while the parents played the Bible on tape and Christian music for her while she was locked inside, according to court documents.
Hana also was forced to sleep in the barn on some nights or kept outside for hours in the cold without adequate clothing or shoes, court documents say – but she was allowed to wear shoes if there was snow on the ground.
The Williams also confirmed that they used a flexible plumbing tool as a switch to punish Hana and some of the other children in their household.
The children told investigators that Hana sometimes was beaten with a switch for standing more than 12 inches away from where she was told to stand or for speaking without permission.
The Williams’ older biological children were sometimes encouraged to join in administering the punishment by their parents.
A witness told investigators that the Williams got their ideas for the disciplinary measures from a book, “How to Train Up Your Child,” which recommends switchings with a plumbing tool, cold water baths, withholding food and putting children out in cold weather as forms of punishment.
The Williams’ other adopted child, a 10-year-old boy who also was adopted at the same time as Hana, is deaf – and also reportedly showed signs of abuse.
Prosecutors say the first-degree assault accusation against the Williams stems from allegations relating to the boy, who was also from Ethiopia but no relation to Hana.
According to court papers, the Williams also withheld food from the boy at times and switched him regularly – sometimes for not listening to them – even though he was deaf.
After Hana’s death, CPS convinced a judge to pull Hana’s eight brothers and sister – ages seven to 17 – from their Sedro-Woolley home. Those children are all now in temporary foster care. The parents have requested a hearing to fight to get their children back.
This article was found on Reuters. Pasted here for permanence
Couple accused of starving daughter plead not guilty
By Nicole Neroulias
SEATTLE | Thu Oct 6, 2011 7:37pm EDT(Reuters) – A couple accused of starving their adopted 13-year-old Ethiopian-born daughter and locking her outside in the cold, where she died from exposure, pleaded not guilty on Thursday to homicide and child abuse charges.
Although investigators found the Washington state couple adhered to a harsh child-rearing regimen prescribed by a controversial Christian parenting book, the prosecutor said Thursday that religion was not relevant to the criminal case.
Larry and Carri Williams, of Sedro-Woolley — a town about halfway between Seattle and Vancouver, British Columbia — were arrested September 29, more than four months after their daughter, Hana, died of hypothermia in their backyard.
A Skagit County Superior Court judge reduced their bail from $500,000 to $150,000 each on Thursday, and barred them from contact with their eight remaining children, who were placed into foster care in July, or with each other.
Each is charged with homicide by abuse in connection with their daughter’s death, and first-degree assault of a child stemming from mistreatment of her adopted 10-year-old brother from Ethiopia.
If convicted each faces a prison term of between 20 and 29 years, according to state sentencing guidelines.
Hana Williams, adopted from Ethiopia by the couple in 2008, died on May 12 after she was found unconscious outside shortly after midnight, in temperatures hovering around 40 degrees, authorities said.
Investigators say the abuse she endured included beatings, starvation, being forced to sleep outside and use an outdoor toilet, and that she had lost a significant amount of weight since her adoption. Prosecutors said the 10-year-old brother was similarly mistreated.
The parents kept the family isolated from non-relatives, home-schooled the children and followed strict religious principles described in the Christian parenting book titled “How to Train Up a Child,” investigators said.
According to court documents, their 16-year-old son told investigators that Hana “was kept in a locked closet and the only light switch was on the outside of the closet. He stated that his mother would take her out every other day to walk and exercise. They played the Bible on tape and Christian music for her while she was locked in the closet.”
But Prosecutor Rich Weyrich insisted that issues of faith were not a factor in the case against the couple. “Religion’s not an element we have to probe. We have to prove that the children were assaulted, tortured and died,” he told Reuters on Thurday.
Larry Williams, 47, who works for Boeing, and his wife, Carri, 40, a stay-at-home mother, were being held in Skagit County Jail.
(Editing by Steve Gorman and Greg McCune)
Reactions to Hana Williams story
October 3, 2011 3 Comments
Here are some reactions to the “Hana Williams” story from around the internet. All of these links consider the link between To Train Up A Child and Hanna’s death.
Note: I just found out from a friend of her’s from Ethiopia that her real name is Hanna Beck. eta: word from Ethiopia is that her real name is Hana Alemu.
The Short Life of Hana Williams by chucklestravels
Did the Disturbing Philosophy of To Train Up a Child Lead to Hana Williams’ Death? by J. Bryan Lowder on Slate.com
Hana Grace Williams, 1997 – 2011 by Tulipgirl who makes a very good case as to how the Pearls’ emphasis on “defeating totally” a “rebellious” child had a lot to do with how the Williams managed to turn the Pearls’ teachings into an instrument of death.
Controversial book part of adopted girl’s murder investigation from Religion News Blog
Extreme Discipline Book Connected to Adoptees’ Deaths from Adoption Talk
Obviously, I’ve been away for awhile by Down To Earth Woman
Another Dead Child: Hana Grace-Rose Williams, age 13. (Parents owned book “To Train Up a Child”) and Having flashbacks/Survivor’s Guilt by Elizabeth Esther
Rally has been archiving this entire story in his How Could You? Hall of Shame. This is a clear and concise timeline of sorts with many links. It also contains some details I had not heard elsewhere.
And here is a news story which, while old news, seems to contain a few details I hadn’t yet read.
Case file: Parents starved and beat girl, locked her out in the cold from KVAL.com
TTUAC linked to Hana Williams’ Death
October 1, 2011 2 Comments
Fox News has connected the dots and has implicated the book, To Train Up A Child in it’s coverage of Hana Grace’s Death in its article, Book advocating extreme discipline may be connected to deaths of adopted children.
I would like to correct one mistake in the article, Michael Pearl is not Amish.
Now to take on this quote:
In the book, Pearl explains how to use a plumbing tool to switch children starting at age one. Pearl advocates giving cold water baths when potty training, putting children outside in cold weather and having them miss meals, all examples of abuse investigators said Hana endured.
They don’t mention that parents are instructed to use a smaller and lighter switch on children under the age of one.(see question 9)
Now, someone is bound to insist that the rest of this quote is a lie. Here are quotes from the book, To Train Up A Child which you can read online at www.achristianhome.org/to_train_up_a_child.htm.
So, my suggestion was that the father explain to the boy that, now that he was a man, he would no longer be washed in the house. He was too big and too stinky to be cleaned by the babywipes. From now on, he would be washed outside with a garden hose. The child was not to be blamed. This was to be understood as just a progressive change in methods. The next dump, the father took him out and merrily, and might I say, carelessly, washed him off. What with the autumn chill and the cold well water, I don’t remember if it took a second washing or not, but, a week later, the father told me his son was now taking himself to the pot. The child weighed the alternatives and opted to change his lifestyle. Since then, several others have been the recipients of my meddling, and it usually takes no more than three cheerful washings.
Now, there are some flavors or textures that we just have an aversion for. Allow each child one or two dislikes, just don’t let their preferences be too limited. If a child doesn’t like what is on the table, let him do without until the next meal. A little fasting is good training. If you get a child who is particularly finicky and only eats a limited diet, then feed him mainly what he doesn’t like until he likes it.
I have said before that the Williams took these teachings way further than Pearl ever intended with their adopted children. Notice that Pearl said that washing the child outside 3 times should be enough. The Williams made it into a lifestyle. Also, I have never seen Pearl mention making the child stand outside without proper clothing as a punishment. However, they did follow the teachings correctly with their biological children. If the investigations mentioned in this article should show that the biological children were being abused, this will have serious implications for the Pearls’ teachings.
The Williams are due back in court on Oct 6.
The Williams Arrested For The Death of Hana Grace
September 30, 2011 4 Comments
We have been following the story of Hana Grace Williams who was found dead outside her home last May. The only reason this story is of interest to this blog is that the Williams were known to be following The Pearls’ teachings with their children before they adopted Hana and her brother in 2008. Any link between this death and the Pearls’ Teachings is purely speculation and is covered in this post. To reiterate and clarify, the Pearls’ teachings do not appear to be directly responsible for this death. Pearls’ teachings do not recommend the kind of abuse which is described in the following articles which I will warn you now are tragic and very disturbing.
The parents, Larry and Carri Williams, have been arrested, charged with abuse leading to her to death ( as well as the abuse of her brother) and are being held on $500,000 bail. Here are links to news stories which report on this:
Couple arrested, charged with abusing child to death from Goskagit.com
Skagit County couple charged with death of adopted child from NWCN.com (which mentions To Train Up A Child and the plumbing line)
Murder charges for parents who left girl outside from The Seattle Times
Adoptive parents Carri and Larry Williams charged with Hana Williams’ death from Quipshots blog
I will remark that if you read the very disturbing sheriff’s report you will note that the Williams speak of rebellious behavior and when the child was clearly in distress they saw her as “pretending that she couldn’t stand or walk.” The adversarial mindset which they learned from the Pearls is a dangerous one and while a tenuous link indeed, it is still of interest to myself and other readers of this blog.
I would also suggest that the abuse of Hana’s 10 yr old brother does sound very much like what the Pearls teach, except that I doubt that the Pearls would suggest one punish a child for urinary leakage when there is a known medical cause or for not hearing when he is deaf. If you read that entire report you will see many of the Pearls’ teachings referenced, however, even I will admit that they took these teachings were taken to extremes which the Pearls did not intend.
Edited to add:
Washington state couple charged in adopted daughter’s death from Fox WXIN
This article contains an interesting quote:
The investigation into the Williams family, including whether the biological children were abused, was continuing, she added, adding that the process can take months.
As far as I could tell, they were following the Pearls’ teachings pretty closely with the biological children so if they should determine that they were abused, this could have serious implications.
The Pearls’ Book NOT Banned in New Zealand (Working on Amazon)
September 22, 2011 3 Comments
New Zealand’s Censorship Compliance Unit has decided not to ban nor restrict Michael and Debi Pearl’s book, To Train Up A Child, according to this article in the Marlborough Press. While I don’t believe in book banning, it seems to me that if a country has that policy, this book should fall into that category and I am a bit confused as to how they reached their decision.
I do believe in encouraging book sellers to stop selling offensive books and so does Milli Hill at Peaceful Parenting who explains why Amazon should stop selling books which promote Child Abuse, especially To Train Up A Child. This piece includes a long quote from Debi Pearl in which she explains how one should use the switch on a child under one year old.
Note: The petition to which she links is the same one to which I link in my side bar. If you have not signed it, please sign it and share the link. Thank you.
The Hana Williams Story
September 12, 2011 Leave a Comment
Non-Profit Radio KUOW aired a piece of the death of Hana Williams, here is the transcript and a link to download the story. Transcript also at https://www.facebook.com/groups/156422897766042/doc/175047785903553/
The “Ministry” of The Pearls
August 29, 2011 Leave a Comment
Marianna Klebanov, has an article in the San Mateo Parenting Examiner about The “Ministry” of Michael and Debi Pearl.
New Zealand Considers Censoring TTUAC
August 23, 2011 Leave a Comment
The New Zealand Internal Affairs Department’s Censorship Compliance Unit has confirmed that it is investigating To Train Up A Child by Michael and Debi Pearl after a complaint was made according to an article on Stuff called, ‘Violent’ child training book off to censor. The article says that it has already been removed from Whitcoulls‘ online store but that other leading book sites are still selling it and that, “Censorship Compliance Unit manager Stephen OBrien said the book’s content would be investigated and, if it was found to be objectionable, it could be either banned, restricted or referred to the human rights or childrens commissioners. ”
Channel 3 News covers the story in Child abuse ‘instruction manual’ could be banned.
Update: Whitcoulls’ is still selling the Spanish Version of the book. *doh*
Here is a closer look at the debate regarding the possible banning.
CNN Exposes the Pearls’ Teachings
August 15, 2011 4 Comments
CNN has done an exposeé on the Pearls’ teachings and has implicated them in the death of Lydia Schatz. This series features a close look at the Lydia Schatz case,an interview with Michael and Debi Pearl as well as an interview with D.A. Mike Ramsey who says that he blames the Pearl’s teachings for Lydia’s death.
Here is Part 1.
Here is Part 2.
Here is Part 3
You can find transcripts here including cut scenes.
They did not really explain why the Pearls’ teachings are implicated because they did not explain what these teachings are. This goes far beyond a simple spanking debate. I link to many articles which explain this and have been meaning to put it all together in one post. I thought I had done it here, but upon taking another look at it, I see that I was waiting until after the trial to flesh it out. I’ll put that on my to do list. Meanwhile, please look at my categories for The Pearls’ Teachings above and the sub categories, especially Counter Arguments. If you have time, check out posts which dig deeper into the Pearls’ teachings with in depth analysis. I hope that you will also find my tags helpful for narrowing down the information you seek.
Note, here are some quotes from To Train Up A Child by Michael Pearl, the book which started the controversy.
My first collection of news stories.
More news stories and reactions..
CBS did an investigative report about the Schatz and other child abuse stories.
And then a Plea Deal Reached in Kevin and Elizabeth Schatz Murder Case.
They were sentenced to prison.
All mentions of the Schatz story can be found under my Schatz tag.
TTUAC and Child Abuse
June 21, 2011 9 Comments
Robin of Heart of Wisdom has a nice synopsis of the Dangers of the Pearls’ teachings in Pearl’s To Train Up A Child And Child Abuse. This is a good post for sharing as it contains the Action News Report as well as quotes from TTUAC and a lot of links for further study.
Ernest Willis Found Guilty
May 28, 2011 Leave a Comment
Under Much Grace shares the verdict in the Ernest Willis/Tina Anderson case as well as a summary of the case and some explaination of the teachings which are infused therein.
Also, here is a News Story in the Daily Sentinel about the testimonies in the Tina Anderson rape case.
And there is a follow up news story here.
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