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Dad hugs his two adult kids after they admit he didn't molest them
He spent nearly 20 years in jail because of their testimony. The son and daughter say they realized as adults the abuse never happened, and they came forward because it was the right thing to do. (Columbian.com)July 13, 2009 | Permalink
Comments
Well, ritual suicide would have been the right thing to do. Giving him their homes and every dollar they've earned in the last 20 years would have been the right thing to do. But howza about a hug instead, dad?
Posted by: Drake Timbershaft | Jul 13, 2009 6:54:23 AM
Wow. Shades of the McMartin case.
I can't think of too many injustices more horrific than this. I hope we've come a long way in interviewing children since the eighties. And any parent who falsely accuses their spouse for revenge or otherwise has a heart colder than death.
Posted by: stopeatingmysesamecake | Jul 13, 2009 7:16:42 AM
i dont think that 4 year olds should be able to testify. that is like allowing a parrot to testify. you can get them to say whatever you want.
Posted by: buddy | Jul 13, 2009 7:18:18 AM
And Drake, I think your anger is misdirected. Its the child psychologist and the rest of the legal numbnuts in the case that deserve bitchslapping.
Posted by: stopeatingmysesamecake | Jul 13, 2009 7:18:38 AM
SEMSC, I could not have said it better. What a horrible miscarriage of justice.
Posted by: Bill B. | Jul 13, 2009 7:21:16 AM
Ever notice how those involved in obtaining convictions of the accused scurry away like the cockroaches that they are when the convictions are proved to be false?
I agree with you, SEMSC. From what I've seen, there are people in one of the Carolinas (I could be wrong) who are still incarcerated after the "victims" have recanted their stories. Stubborn public prosecuters will not admit they are wrong and do what's right. The spirit of Nifong lives on.
Posted by: KDP | Jul 13, 2009 7:22:19 AM
Hell takes many forms.
Posted by: Torgo | Jul 13, 2009 7:29:57 AM
Where's their mother now? The reporter doesn't mention that. Did she find her, try to get a comment? She probably would not admit wrongdoing.
Posted by: Sheila | Jul 13, 2009 7:32:44 AM
Stubborn public prosecuters will not admit they are wrong and do what's right.
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Yes, KDP. I'd hold them in the same regard and those parents that falsely accuse. And what - to keep their good name? Even if it meant my carreer, I couldn't sleep one night knowing I put an innocent away. Maybe that's why I'm not a lawyer.
Posted by: stopeatingmysesamecake | Jul 13, 2009 7:47:53 AM
i'm not surprised by this. my 17 year old son still repeats the lies fed to him by my ex during our custody battle. he was 7 when i won.
Posted by: lester | Jul 13, 2009 7:56:07 AM
I'm an educator in a small rural area. About 10 years ago two 8th grade girls accused a fellow teacher with sexual abuse. The principal and counselor sided with the girls without due process for the teacher. Needless to say, his career and his standing in the community were ruined. One week later the girls recanted their story. They were upset about an embarrassing reprimand from the teacher and wanted revenge. They got it, big time.
Posted by: Patrick | Jul 13, 2009 7:56:44 AM
THEY SHOULD BE JAILED FOR 20 YEARS EACH
Posted by: MONKEY JERKm | Jul 13, 2009 7:59:55 AM
so then by all rights he should get to molest them now since he already served the time for it
Posted by: buddy | Jul 13, 2009 8:17:16 AM
I know a couple of kids who are not getting anything for Xmas! Isn't it against the law to file false charges?
Posted by: thing1 | Jul 13, 2009 8:21:41 AM
Perhaps SEMSC, but to wait twenty years?
Posted by: Drake Timbershaft | Jul 13, 2009 8:22:10 AM
Methinks Krause had a personal agenda against Mr Spencer right from the get-go....
Posted by: Sisterblonde | Jul 13, 2009 8:46:41 AM
Perhaps SEMSC, but to wait twenty years?
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I see your point, but who knows how much they were messed up by that child psych. It took years for one of the McMartin kids to come clean, and what the psychologist was feeding them was much more rediculous.
Posted by: stopeatingmysesamecake | Jul 13, 2009 8:56:40 AM
Methinks Krause had a personal agenda against Mr Spencer right from the get-go....
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I was wondering about this from the atricle myself:
"In 1985, Spencer was also convicted of abusing a 4-year-old stepson, who was not at Friday's hearing.
The Court of Appeals ruled his testimony was not necessary, given his age at the time of the alleged crimes and the fact his mother had an affair with Krause's supervisor."
Huh? The fact the mother had an affair with the psych's supervisor wasn't at least brought up in the case?
Again, I'm no lawyer, but shouldn't someone have got a 'WTF' on the record?
Posted by: stopeatingmysesamecake | Jul 13, 2009 9:01:34 AM
I just read a book about "Why People Believe Weird Things" by Michael Shermer. He talks about "recovered memories," comparing them to the recurring witchcraft hysteria of the past. It's pretty interesting stuff. His opinion, backed by a ton of data, is that recovered memories are a hoax.
Posted by: Russ | Jul 13, 2009 9:03:06 AM
Another good book on the subject is "Demon Haunted World" by Carl Sagen. It also touch on the "satanic abuse" hysteria from the 80's
Posted by: Rofo | Jul 13, 2009 10:15:40 AM
This was and is a tragedy. Like the Wenatchee witch hunt or the McMartin case it never should have been allowed to go to court without some actual rational people looking at it.
At least they didn't accuse him of flying as well.
And for everyone who thinks that kids don't lie about sexual abuse.
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laurel_Rose_Willson
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michelle_remembers
Posted by: David | Jul 13, 2009 10:47:18 AM
But...but...but...kids are special and unique angels sent down to Earth to remind us all what it was like to be a... BLORPH!!! Anyone who believes that was never a child themselves, spawned instead out of the colon of whatever serves as the vanguard for burning witches now-a-days. Of course children lie...they lie to get out of trouble or they lie to get attention and nothing gets attention like a little molestation accusation.
Posted by: sometimesilie | Jul 13, 2009 11:18:09 AM
Russ, Rofo, you guys said exactly what I was going to say. Since we're on the topic of great books, I recommend Bad Science by Ben Goldacre. It's like the Demon Haunted World but for medicine - conventional and "alternative".
Echoing the same thing though - recovered memories are not actually memories. It's leading suggestions from the psychologist. What makes it worse is that the victims then often think these are true memories, and may suffer more mental trauma.
Posted by: Joe | Jul 13, 2009 12:19:53 PM
what mystifies me is the fact that prosecutors hid the doctors report that there was NO evidence of abuse, no signs of trauma...
and, yeah where's mom now?
Posted by: Lambiepie | Jul 13, 2009 1:38:18 PM
Uh, Monkeyjerk, there isn't any crime a 9 year old and a 5 year old (and a 4 year old) would serve 20 years for. Or should. Did you read the article?
Posted by: WZ | Jul 13, 2009 2:20:17 PM
