Academic

Faith healing parents convicted

By Tung Yin

The big local criminal trial here in the Portland area has been of the Neagley parents, who were charged with negligent homicide for letting their 16-year-old son die of an untreated blocked urinary tract without seeking any medical care.  The family is part of the Followers of Christ church, which promotes faith healing and rejects medical care.  They were convicted today, and the Oregonian article suggests that the likely sentencing range is 16-18 months.

I got to wondering, if both of them go off to prison, what typically happens to their home and possessions?  Maybe they have enough savings to cover 1 1/2 years worth of mortgage payments, and someone can look over the home while they're serving their sentences, assuming they are sent to prison.  But what if they can't keep up the mortgage?  The house could be sold in a short sale, though that would usually be at quite a loss.  What about their stuff?  Would they be forced to rent storage space?

I suppose the lesson here is, don't commit crimes, but if you do, definitely don't commit crimes with your spouse! 

Full post as published by The Yin Blog on February 02, 2010 (boomark / email).