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Charges Filed in Case of Autistic Boy Who Died During Unorthodox Prayer Service
Aired August 27, 2003 - 05:21 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Charges have now been filed in the case of an autistic boy who died during an unorthodox prayer service. But the charges filed were not what many had expected.
Jeff Flock has the story from Milwaukee.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEFF FLOCK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In some sense, the charges ended up not being as serious as some had expected. The way it came down was one count of physical abuse of a child filed against Ray Hemphill. He is the church elder who conducted the prayer service that ended up in the death of 8-year-old Terrance Cottrell, Jr., the autistic boy, a member of the Storefront Church here in Milwaukee.
Now, that charge is a Class D felony, which could get Hemphill up to 10 years in prison and up to $25,000 in fines.
It was the Milwaukee County district attorney who came out after the announcement of the charges to explain why the charges were not more serious.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
E. MICHAEL MCCANN, MILWAUKEE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: If we would have to prove that Mr. Hemphill had a conscious realization that what he was doing had a great likelihood of causing great bodily harm or death. In other words, that he would consciously be aware that what he was doing had a great likelihood of causing death. We could not prove that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FLOCK: Based on information in the criminal complaint, church members were holding the boy down during the prayer service and at one point Ray Hemphill put his knee into the boy's chest, according to the criminal complaint. And another time he placed himself over top of the boy and placed his weight on top of the boy to hold him down.
But according to the criminal complaint, church members did that in an effort to help him, not in any malicious way, hence the charge is child abuse, not something more serious.
I'm Jeff Flock, CNN, in Milwaukee.
(END VIDEOTAPE) TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Unorthodox Prayer Service>
Aired August 27, 2003 - 05:21 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Charges have now been filed in the case of an autistic boy who died during an unorthodox prayer service. But the charges filed were not what many had expected.
Jeff Flock has the story from Milwaukee.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEFF FLOCK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In some sense, the charges ended up not being as serious as some had expected. The way it came down was one count of physical abuse of a child filed against Ray Hemphill. He is the church elder who conducted the prayer service that ended up in the death of 8-year-old Terrance Cottrell, Jr., the autistic boy, a member of the Storefront Church here in Milwaukee.
Now, that charge is a Class D felony, which could get Hemphill up to 10 years in prison and up to $25,000 in fines.
It was the Milwaukee County district attorney who came out after the announcement of the charges to explain why the charges were not more serious.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
E. MICHAEL MCCANN, MILWAUKEE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: If we would have to prove that Mr. Hemphill had a conscious realization that what he was doing had a great likelihood of causing great bodily harm or death. In other words, that he would consciously be aware that what he was doing had a great likelihood of causing death. We could not prove that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FLOCK: Based on information in the criminal complaint, church members were holding the boy down during the prayer service and at one point Ray Hemphill put his knee into the boy's chest, according to the criminal complaint. And another time he placed himself over top of the boy and placed his weight on top of the boy to hold him down.
But according to the criminal complaint, church members did that in an effort to help him, not in any malicious way, hence the charge is child abuse, not something more serious.
I'm Jeff Flock, CNN, in Milwaukee.
(END VIDEOTAPE) TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Unorthodox Prayer Service>
