Pastor Kills Boy for Being Autistic

[Spence]

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports (http://www.jsonline.com/news/metro/aug03/164682.asp) that the death of Torrance Cantrell was a homicide:

The death of an 8-year-old autistic boy during a weekend prayer service has been ruled a homicide by the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's office.

According to the medical examiner, Terrance Cottrell Jr. suffocated to death by "mechanical asphyxia due to external chest compression."

Ray Hemphill, the church pastor's brother, is being held on suspicion of physical abuse of a child, a felony. Milwaukee Police Capt. Nan Hegerty said Monday that she does not expect anyone else to be arrested in the case.
...
Ray Hemphill, the church pastor's brother, is being held on suspicion of physical abuse of a child, a felony. Milwaukee Police Capt. Nan Hegerty said Monday that she does not expect anyone else to be arrested in the case.

Two women - including Cottrell's mother, Patricia Cooper - held the boy down while Hemphill tried to remove the evil spirts from him, said Hemphill's brother, David Hemphill, the pastor of the church.

Cooper has not been able to be reached for comment.

David Hemphill has stood by the actions of his brother and the others trying ot help the boy.

"Didn't do nothing wrong," David Hemphill said Sunday. "We did what the Book of Matthew said, Chapter 12. All we did is ask God to deliver him."

Out of ignorance and misguided religious fervor, they squeezed the life out of a little boy whose only sin was that his brain worked differently.

[IowaSkinsFan]

Hardly a sin that his brain worked differently.

[Spence]

Exactly. But they killed him anyway. Ignorant fanatics.

[Green-Is-Good]

What a freak to kill a mentally disabled child.

[Skinzaholic]

It is sad that people are allowed to teach stuff they dont unerstand to others, thus hurting, crippling, or even killing them... and we can do nothing about it.

Is this what is meant by "religious freedom"?

[jsarno]

Why did they think the child was evil?

Being evil and being autistic seem to me to be night and day. What were the evils they were trying to rid this child from? Is there any more info?

[NamVet4]

I'm apalled at this! I'm in hopes that the alleged perpetrators receive the maxim sentence. The additional crime here is the ignorance of people made responsible for religious leadership. And I question the judgment of the mother of this child who participated in this "ritual". Where was her common sense???Was she so overpowered by religious fervor that she ignored the welfare of her child.?

If found guilty - let the punishment fit the crime -

[BigCountry]

Well you can't put a stop to religion since this is a freak thing. Thus, there will be bo way of stopping such things in the future. It is sad.

[jsarno]

there will always be wacko's doing things in the name of religion. For every good, there is 2 bad. This is a fact of life unfortunately. Religion is run by humans, therefore suspect to these sorts of crazy people.
It's a shame people can't read their bible better.

[Skinzaholic]

Originally posted by NamVet4
I'm apalled at this! I'm in hopes that the alleged perpetrators receive the maxim sentence. The additional crime here is the ignorance of people made responsible for religious leadership. And I question the judgment of the mother of this child who participated in this "ritual". Where was her common sense???Was she so overpowered by religious fervor that she ignored the welfare of her child.?

If found guilty - let the punishment fit the crime -


AGREED!

[AGibbsGirl]

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." James 1:27

Religion is man made, the evil deeds associated with the religions of this world, are of man, not of God.

[Skinzaholic]

Religion... knowing ABOUT God.

Relationship... knowing God personally.