Jury to begin deliberating fate of parents in faith-healing case
Dale and Shannon Hickman failed their newborn son at several points in his ever-so-brief life, prosecutors said Wednesday during closing arguments of the Oregon City couple’s trial.
Shannon Hickman never sought prenatal care and the couple never considered taking the premature infant to a hospital, prosecutors said. And when the baby turned blue and struggled for breath, no one called 9-1-1. “The chance of his survival … was zero,” said Clackamas County prosecutor Mike Regan.
The Hickmans are charged with second-degree manslaughter in the death of their son, David, who was born two months early and lived less than nine hours. Oregon law requires parents to seek adequate medical care for their children and to be aware of risks that would be obvious to a reasonable person.
Jurors, who begin deliberating today, also may consider a lesser charge, second-degree criminal mistreatment.