October 2nd, 2010
Colossians 3:20: Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. (AP)
An Ohio man has pleaded guilty to beating his 4-year-old stepson to death. The Columbus Dispatch reports John Reeves was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison after he whipped Lawrence King III with a leather belt and killed him at the family’s Columbus home in March. Reeves said he was trying to correct his stepson. An investigation found that Reeves beat the boy because he was acting up and wouldn’t stand in the corner.
…Police say the boy’s mother, 24-year-old Nikki Reeves, turned up the radio to drown out the sound of a beating. She’s awaiting trial on child endangering and murder charges.
…But Reeves’ father, the Rev. Michael Reeves Sr., defended his son. “John is not a thug,” he said. “He is not the villain he has been portrayed in the media. … I’m sorry for what happened, for what my son allegedly did, but there is more to the story.”
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Rarian Rakista
October 2nd, 2010
You know how many times this happened before their were child protection laws? My dad had his back broken after his dad threw him down a flight of stairs because he forgot to bring in my grand dad’s toolbox, punishment in 1950’s Indiana, nothing.
Ben in Oakland
October 2nd, 2010
There’s more to the story?
Unless the good Reverend sir is stating that his son did not in fact beat his stepson to death, or contributre to his death in a major way, it is hard to imagine what more to the story could there be.
but hey. At least that poor little boy had a mother and a father.
Regan DuCasse
October 2nd, 2010
Dear God…
Folks, I see this all the time. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve attended an incident of domestic violence and children CLINGING to me so hard. They want to go with me so bad to get them out of there. I had to start carrying lollipops in my bag to soothe them.
We’ve had child victims brought into our headquarters to have their injuries photographed.
Sometimes those injuries are in private areas. There is so little privacy after a crime.
I don’t wear a uniform, and no gun…so I guess I’m less intimidating. I try hard to respect the privacy and feelings of a child.
To think of a woman, turning up the volume on a television so her child’s screams can’t be heard is depraved beyond belief.
Beating deaths are terrible. And so many children who die from them, usually have old injuries that were never treated that make them irritable.
They are in terrible pain sometimes for months. Exacerbating a violent parent’s lack of patience with them.
Sometimes, don’t you wonder where God was when these children were suffering so?
Ryan
October 3rd, 2010
Amazing. “More to the story”, says the good Reverend, who no doubt beat his own son as well.
Tone
October 3rd, 2010
It’s heartbreaking, I was trying to type a reply to this when I became so overwrought that I just started bawling. My desire to see vengeance against this couple is strong, but that makes me scarcely any better than them. Beyond revulsion and feeling tremendous sorrow I just don’t know how to feel.
Richard Rush
October 3rd, 2010
Regan said, “Sometimes, don’t you wonder where God was when these children were suffering so?”
I stopped wondering many years ago when I concluded that gods do not exist.
We all know there are some demented Christian fanatics who would believe the child somehow deserved to be beaten to death – for being demon-possessed, for example. Maybe that is part of what the reverend meant when he said, “. . . there is more to the story.”
customartist
October 3rd, 2010
Here’s the news story:
http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2010/10/02/he-loved-stepson-man-says.html?sid=101
Here’s the Church link: (should anyone care to ask the dear reverend to continue with the rest of the story)
http://www.yournewscolumbus.com/love_of_church_no_act_for_corint.htm
lurker
October 3rd, 2010
Regan – I really appreciate reading your comments on this blog, and thank you for your work in protecting kids. I have to put in a comment about this though:
“To think of a woman, turning up the volume on a television so her child’s screams can’t be heard is depraved beyond belief.”
Yes, that struck me as overwhelmingly depraved at first also, but what is even MORE depraved is a father bludgeoning his kid to death.
Our social mores say that women are cherubic protectors of children, while men are violent monsters who are prone to hurt children. I believe in recognizing and challenging these stereotypes, as they hurt us all.
Richard Rush
October 3rd, 2010
Wait . . . The killer has already pleaded guilty and has been sentenced. So, if there really were “more to the story,” wouldn’t it be reasonable to expect that the reverend/father would have told that story in the courtroom?
Timothy (TRiG)
October 3rd, 2010
After all these suicides, and the anti-gay people coming out in droves to oppose anti-bullying measures, and having recently reread most of Letter to a Christian Nation, I am not currently feeling well disposed toward religion in general or Christianity in particular.
This is sick, but not particularly surprising.
TRiG.
(Sorry. I’ll try to get out of cynic mode before posting again.)
Zattica
October 13th, 2010
4 years old. What a triumph for a grown person. Lawrence won’t ever do that again! Hopefully neither will John Reeves or Lawrence’s “mother”.
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