Prosecutor says religious parents punished their 8-year-old son to death
MARIETTA, Ga. (Court TV) - An 8-year-old boy is dead because of the "horrible abuse" inflicted on him by his parents, strict disciplinarians who followed severe religious doctrine, a prosecutor told a jury Tuesday.
Sonya and Joseph Smith were watching an online church service offered by the Remnant Fellowship Church on Oct. 8, 2003, but their 8-year-old son, Josef, was misbehaving, according to prosecutor Eleanor Dixon.
Josef wasn't being obedient and wasn't praying. The Nashville, Tennessee-based church encourages parents to physically discipline their children and maintain strict dietary control....