After days of deliberation, an Oregon jury has acquitted a couple of all but one misdemeanor charge in the death of their 15-month old child. The pair had been intent on healing their daughter with prayer. In an interview after the verdict was read, the jury forewoman said discussions revolved around different interpretations of what constitutes a "reasonable person". It sounds like that had more to do with parenting than being religious, in this case.
Prosecutors had tried to show the couple's faith led them to deny their daughter medical attention, but the account Santos gave of the deliberations suggested that jurors sympathized with the couple as parents who didn't realize how sick the girl was until it was too late to save her.
"I'm a parent," Santos said. "I don't make perfect decisions every time."
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District Attorney John Foote issued a statement Thursday saying that prosecutors were "saddened and disappointed" by the verdict."We continue to believe that the facts are clear in this case," he said, adding that his "office will continue to aggressively enforce the laws that require parents to protect their children regardless of their religious faith."
