Georgia v. Smith
Media:Example.oggJoseph and Sonya Smith, a couple who lived in Mableton, Georgia, went on trial in February of 2007 for the 2003 beating death of Josef Smith, their 8-year-old son. This case prompted authorities to raid the family's church in 2004 because it supports corporal punishment.[1]
The Case
Josef Smith died at a children's hospital after paramedics were called to the family's home in Mableton, an Atlanta suburb.[2]
The boys' parents had told authorities Josef had passed out and never regained consciousness after the family gathered in the kitchen to participate in a prayer session with their church via the Internet.[3]
Church Connection
The Smiths were members of the Brentwood, Tennessee-based Remnant Fellowship Church, which grew out of church leader Gwen Shamblin's Weigh Down Workshop, a Christian diet program she created in 1986. Authorities raided the church in June 2004 as part of the investigation of Josef Smith's death, but church officials were not accused of wrongdoing in the case.
Former Remnant members have said church teachings on discipline include discussion of corporal punishment. Church leaders say that they leave discipline to parents and that spankings are a last resort.[4]
Charges
Joseph and Sonya Smith, were charged with murder, cruelty to children, aggravated assault and false imprisonment.[5]
The Trial
Prosecution
Prosecutors in the trial said Joseph and Sonya Smith beat their son Josef, locked him in a wooden box and confined him to a closet for hours at a time before he died in October 2003.[6]
Defense
The defense attorney for the Smiths said the injuries on the boy's body did not cause the boy's death and that the medical examiner did not perform tests that would have cleared his clients.[7]
During the trial, the defense attorney pointed out that there was no DNA evidence to prove the boy was locked inside the wooden box as the prosecution claimed. The defense also said the closet that prosecutors accused the parents of locking the boy in had no wall to prevent him from going into his bedroom, because his father had been renovating the house.[8]
Verdict and Sentencing
After being convicted by a jury, the Smiths were sentenced to life plus 30 years in prison, the maximum punishment, by Cobb County Superior Court Judge James Bodiford.[9]
At the sentencing hearing approximately two dozen supporters for the Smiths were in the courtroom, and several friends spoke on the couple's behalf, describing them as kind.[10]
The judge called the letters of support for the Smiths "amazing," but said the supporters likely didn't have all the details.[11]
Appeal Procedings
One of the church's leaders, said they still believe the Smiths are innocent and that the church would "... support the Smiths in any way possible".
Footnotes
- ^ "US couple whose church backs corporal punishment go on trial in son's death". Associated Press. 2007-02-07.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|First=ignored (|first=suggested) (help); Unknown parameter|Last=ignored (|last=suggested) (help) - ^ "US couple whose church backs corporal punishment go on trial in son's death". Associated Press. 2007-02-07.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|First=ignored (|first=suggested) (help); Unknown parameter|Last=ignored (|last=suggested) (help) - ^ "US couple whose church backs corporal punishment go on trial in son's death". Associated Press. 2007-02-07.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|First=ignored (|first=suggested) (help); Unknown parameter|Last=ignored (|last=suggested) (help) - ^ "Ga. Parents Sentenced in Boy's Death". Associated Press. 2007-03-27.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|First=ignored (|first=suggested) (help); Unknown parameter|Last=ignored (|last=suggested) (help) - ^ "US couple whose church backs corporal punishment go on trial in son's death". Associated Press. 2007-02-07.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|First=ignored (|first=suggested) (help); Unknown parameter|Last=ignored (|last=suggested) (help) - ^ "Ga. Parents Sentenced in Boy's Death". Associated Press. 2007-03-27.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|First=ignored (|first=suggested) (help); Unknown parameter|Last=ignored (|last=suggested) (help) - ^ "US couple whose church backs corporal punishment go on trial in son's death". Associated Press. 2007-02-07.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|First=ignored (|first=suggested) (help); Unknown parameter|Last=ignored (|last=suggested) (help) - ^ "US couple whose church backs corporal punishment go on trial in son's death". Associated Press. 2007-02-07.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|First=ignored (|first=suggested) (help); Unknown parameter|Last=ignored (|last=suggested) (help) - ^ "Ga. Parents Sentenced in Boy's Death". Associated Press. 2007-03-27.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|First=ignored (|first=suggested) (help); Unknown parameter|Last=ignored (|last=suggested) (help) - ^ "Ga. Parents Sentenced in Boy's Death". Associated Press. 2007-03-27.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|First=ignored (|first=suggested) (help); Unknown parameter|Last=ignored (|last=suggested) (help) - ^ "Ga. Parents Sentenced in Boy's Death". Associated Press. 2007-03-27.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|First=ignored (|first=suggested) (help); Unknown parameter|Last=ignored (|last=suggested) (help)