The parents of an 11-year-old girl who died of complications from untreated diabetes last month have both been charged with second-degree reckless homicide, according to Marathon County District Attorney Jill Falstad.
Madeline Kara Neumann died March 23. The girl's parents, Leilani and Dale Neumann, of Weston, have said they didn't know she had diabetes, didn't take her to a doctor and prayed for healing.
..."Second-degree reckless homicide has two elements," Falstad said. "The first element is that the defendant caused the death of another. The second element is that the defendant caused the death by criminally reckless conduct.
"In this case, that conduct was the failure to seek medical intervention. The failure to seek medical intervention created unreasonable and substantial risk of death or great bodily harm to Kara and the Neumanns were aware of the risk."
..."There has been a great deal of discussion regarding the availability of a 'religious defense' in this case," Falstad said in the statement. "In our nation we have a constitutional guarantee of freedom of religion. We also give parents leeway in matters of child rearing. However, neither is absolute. In this case, it was necessary to weigh 'freedom of religion' and 'parenting rights' against the state's interests in protecting children."
It took a long time for the Neumanns to be charged in their daughter's death.
I agree with the charges.
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More, from the Associated Press.
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