Vegans Sentenced for Starving Their Baby
ATLANTA (AP) - 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.
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."
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.
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."
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.
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."
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.
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."
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This was a topic on KGO radio today, all I can say is "If you wish to do that as an adult Fine have at it BUT DON'T do it to a baby.[:(!] 0 -
i bet they both get plenty of meat now 0 -
Ah I don't know what to say.[V][V][V] 0 -
if they wanna be all natural hippies... then at least breast feed the baby. No cow had to suffer to make that milk.... geez.
Those people are idiots, imagine if they managed to successfully raise a child..... sadly... this is not the way Darwin awards should be won.
They should have removed themselves from the gene pool by killing themselves, not their progeny.0 -
Uhhh.........I'm confused. so vegans won't use their own breast milk because.............what, they feel their exploiting themselves???????????????
That's just plain silly.0 -
I generally think most vegans are firmly on the fruitcake wagon, but a diet of soy milk and apple juice doesn't sound all that bad for a six-week old. Is something else going on here? 0 -
life in prison sound costly to me,just serilize them and to california. 0 -
quote:"I loved my son-and I did not starve him," she said. The facts say otherwise, ya dumb b%$$#.
quote: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." Awwww... poor baby!
Maybe you should have thought of that before you starved your baby to death, you ignorant hippy freak.0 -
You're dying every day in there?
Your kid died ONCE because of you, you degenerate freak.
Go catch some bullets, you loser.0 -
I am not normally this sadistic, but how much would it cost to get our old buddy Putin to re-open a Gulag just for these two?
I say work/starve them to death!0 -
They should be jailed just for naming their son " Crown Shakur" [}:)] 0
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