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FM NEWS 101 KXL

Vancouver Mom Testifies in Child Abuse Trial


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Sandra Weller on the stand

February 7, 2013, 2:59 pm


The trial continues for a Vancouver couple accused of starving and beating their adopted twins with the mother taking the stand today in her defense.  The defense rested its case followed by closing arguments.  The jury is now deliberating on charges of assault, unlawful imprisonment and strangulation.

Prosecutors say Jeffrey and Sandra Weller locked the kids in a room with no electricity for years.  A social worker previously testified that she discovered Krista and Christopher, both 16, to be literally starving, shaken and scared.  Their bedroom had no handle on the inside, so the kids couldn't get out.  There was no mattress to sleep on.

One of the twins and the husband's biological son testified that they were beaten when they tried to sneak food, reportedly with up to 50 strikes from a board.  Sandra says she never saw her husband hit anyone in the family with a board and denied serving the kids rotten, moldy food.  The parents also reportedly locked the cupboards and refrigerator.

The mother says they were breaking the children of their hoarding habits and that they were coached on what to say.  The teens have gained a lot of their weight back since being taken from the couple's home.

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