Pennsylvania

Parents Spared Jail Time in Faith Healing Death of 2-Year-Old Daughter

The parents of a 2-year-old Pennsylvania girl have been spared jail time in the pneumonia death of their daughter after vowing to seek medical care in the future for their other children.

The parents of a 2-year-old Pennsylvania girl have been spared jail time in the pneumonia death of their daughter after vowing to seek medical care in the future for their other children.

Thirty-five-year-old Jonathan Foster and 34-year-old Grace Foster were sentenced to five years' probation on involuntary manslaughter and child endangerment convictions in the November 2016 death of daughter Ella Grace in Upper Tulpehocken Township.

Prosecutors said they declined to seek medical care on religious grounds, but the Fosters told the Berks County judge Wednesday that since their trial they have realized that they were wrong.

The defendants have been part of Faith Tabernacle Congregation, which instructs members to avoid doctors and pharmaceutical drugs. But Grace Foster said in court that ``We can't just follow a set of rules blindly.''


Copyright AP - Associated Press
Contact Us