A federal jury in Newark is deliberating in the trial of a former Army couple charged with abusing their three foster children.
John and Carolyn Jackson face charges including child endangerment and assault.
John Jackson was an Army major based at Picatinny Arsenal in northwestern New Jersey when the alleged crimes occurred. The couple now lives in Burlington County.
Prosecutors allege the Jacksons' three foster children, all of them toddlers, suffered injuries including a broken arm and fractured spine and were severely underweight when they were removed from the family home in 2010.
The children allegedly were forced to eat hot pepper flakes and drink hot sauce as punishment.
The couple's attorneys have argued that their child-raising methods may have been objectionable but weren't illegal.
Former Army Couple's Child Abuse Trial Continues
Copyright AP - Associated Press
