Free Republic

The father of one of the girls accused of brutally stabbing a school friend to pay homage to an eerie horror story character, apparently encouraged his daughter's sick obsession by proudly posting a sketch the 12-year-old drew of the scary figure on Instagram. Morgan Geyser, 12, drew the sinister stickman, inspired by an online ghost story about a ghoulish child killer called Slender Man, on a napkin and left it in the family home while she was out with her parents were out for dinner. But far from being alarmed by the disturbing sketch, Morgan's father Matt seemed to find...

An infant is fighting for her life after being physically and sexually abused by her mother’s boyfriend, and police say the child had been referred to the Children Youth and Families Department by medical staff multiple times before the incident. Police say doctors referred the four-month-old girl to CYFD three other times before this because of injuries she had. They say doctors also referred the mother’s two year old daughter to CYFD at least once. Police say Friday night, the mother’s boyfriend injured the infant to the point where she may not make it. Police say 19-year-old Elijah Fernandez was...

I have to admit being taken aback by this  reward poster at the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation website.   I can see the utility in grabbing a graphic from  the Internet that is unlikely to draw a complaint from the owner.  It may even be in the public domain.  But I find the juxtaposition of Glock Perfection with a double child murder case to be a little disturbing. The pistol may be useful in the trial of Kevin Sweat, who has given a confession of sorts.   A hearing has been scheduled to determine if the video of the confession will...

Mafia killings don’t typically shock Italians—as disturbing as the occasional hit may be, the tragedy usually affects only friends and families of the victims. But a cold-blooded point-blank killing this month in southern Italy has a nation grieving—for a 3-year-old child. Nicola “Coco” Campolongo was shot in the head along with his grandfather, Giuseppe Iannicelli, and his grandfather’s 27-year-old companion—victims of an apparent mob hit over money. […] The killing even caught the attention of Pope Francis, who called Coco’s death “unprecedented.” He asked worshipers at his Sunday address to say a prayer for Coco and called on the boy’s...

Detectives in Montgomery County, Md., have charged a mother with the deaths of her two children. Police charged Zakieya Latrice Avery, 28, of Germantown, with two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted first-degree murder. She is currently being held without bond. The deceased children are identified as Norell N. Harris, 1, and Zyana Z. Harris, 2. The other two children are still hospitalized. They are identified as Taniya Harris, 5, and Martello Harris, 8. Police were called to the 19000 block of Cherry Bend Drive Friday morning and discovered the victims. Avery attempted to run from officers,...

A Saudi preacher accused of torturing his five-year-old daughter and beating her to death has been sentenced to eight years in prison and 600 lashes. The case of Fayhan al-Ghamdi made headlines around the world earlier this year when it was suggested that a Saudi court might let him walk free. Activists began a campaign named after his daughter, "I am Lama" ...

BRUNSWICK, Ga. (AP) - A Georgia teen convicted of fatally shooting a baby in a stroller was sentenced Thursday to spend the rest of his life in prison with no chance of parole after the grieving mother asked a judge to punish the gunman for taking "the love of my life." De'Marquise Elkins, 18, stood silent and showed no emotion as he was sentenced in a courtroom less than two weeks after a jury found him guilty of murder in the slaying of 13-month-old Antonio Santiago during a robbery attempt.

EDMONTON — Alberta mom Allyson McConnell will be deported back to her native Australia on Monday despite pending appeals by Alberta Justice for her to face murder charges in the 2010 drowning deaths of her two young boys. The 34-year-old Millet mom is being returned home after completing a 10-month sentence at the Alberta Hospital Thursday for the manslaughter of her 10-month-old son Jayden and two-year-old son Connor. ...During the hearing, defence lawyer Peter Royal didn’t argue the custody ruling as McConnell is mere days away from leaving Canada. “She’s been fully co-operative and compliant throughout and that remains the...

A distraught mother as told how she pleaded with young robbers to spare her toddler's life before they shot him dead as he slept in his stroller. Sherry West was pushing her 13-month-old son Antonio yards from their home in Brunswick, Georgia, early yesterday morning when she was approached by two African-American boys. She told how one of them, who looked about 15, demanded money from her and threatened to kill her if she didn't give him any. She told him she didn't have any. 'He said: "Well, I'm going to kill your baby", and I said "Please don't kill...

A San Diego photographer who's traveled the world capturing intimate photos of people from Asia, Latin America and Africa is on a mission to stop the ritualistic killing of children in the lower Omo Valley in southwest Ethiopia. A place National Geographic calls the last frontier in Africa. You may have seen the work of John Rowe on the pages of various publications, including National Geographic. "I love people and I love photographing people and culture, I think it's so fascinating," Rowe said referring to his life long passion. He's lived in San Diego County for 25 years and was...

A pro-family advocate finds it odd that a group of homosexual activists has admitted to working to help defeat Mississippi's personhood amendment on Tuesday. In an announcement released the day after the vote, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Action Fund admits to sending activists to Jackson, Mississippi, to help with a phone bank and "stand in solidarity" with Planned Parenthood Federation of America and other abortion proponents. Peter LaBarbera of Americans for Truth About Homosexuality (AFTAH) thinks it was a peculiar alliance, since homosexuals cannot procreate. "This is a group that works hand-in-hand with so-called 'sexual freedom advocates,'...

Almost 100 ELCA pastors and leaders have endorsed a declaration entitled, “Religious Declaration on Sexual Morality, Justice, and Healing.” In this document, the ELCA leaders call for marriage equality for homosexuals, and they voice their commitment to abortion, among other things. Concerning marriage equality and abortion, the declaration says, “We call for:” - “Full inclusion of women and LGBT persons in congregational life, including their ordination and marriage equality.” - “A faith-based commitment to sexual and reproductive rights, including access to voluntary contraception, abortion, and HIV/STI prevention and treatment.” (read here) Here is the list of ELCA pastors and leaders...

The abortion debate has raged since 1973, when the Supreme Court gave abortion constitutional protection, but the basic law of the land has proved immutable. Abortion is legal, and it's going to remain legal for a long time. Laws often alter attitudes, inducing people to accept things -- such as racial integration -- they once rejected. But sometimes, attitudes move in the opposite direction, as people see the consequences of the change. That's the case with abortion. The news that the abortion rate has fallen to its lowest level in 30 years elicits various explanations, from increased use of contraceptives...

The Rev. Katherine Ragsdale will soon become the first female president of Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Openly lesbian, the outgoing chief of a liberal think tank that monitored the Religious Right, and best known for her abortion rights advocacy through the Washington-based Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice (RCRC), Ragsdale maybe the perfect icon for untrammeled liberal Episcopalianism. But a rather vigorous two-year-old abortion sermon by Ragsdale, assertive even by her standards, has overshadowed her recent appointment. "Abortion is a blessing and our work is not done!" she repeatedly exclaimed at a rally in defense of an abortion clinic...

Prendergaft associate Randall Whitney reportedly testified that babies are born alive all the time after failed abortions and are then left to die. ORLANDO, Florida, July 26, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) – In disturbing testimony during court proceedings against a well-known Florida abortionist, a fellow abortionist reportedly admitted that some aborted children are delivered alive and left “wiggling around in the toilet,” where they are allowed to die. The testimony occurred during proceedings against abortionist James Pendergraft, who was forced to pay over $36 million last week for a botched procedure that left its intended target alive, but severely disabled. Pendergraft, who...

Joy Behar ripped the House of Representatives on her program on Monday for their recent defunding of Planned Parenthood. Behar, focusing on the organization’s birth control services, criticized the move as “illogical…because if you are not going to help people with birth control, you’re going to have more abortions. So, besides being evil and immoral and unethical, they’re also stupid” (audio clips available here).

HICKORY, N.C. (AP) - More than four months after a 10-year-old disabled girl disappeared, her jailed stepmother was charged with murdering her with the indictment coming the same day authorities revealed that they haven't been able to find the dismembered girl's head. Elisa Baker, 42, was charged with second-degree murder Monday and authorities said she desecrated Zahra Baker's remains to cover up the slaying. Zahra's death was caused by "undetermined homicidal violence," medical examiners said in documents.

Abortion and the Black Community "Several years ago, when 17,000 aborted babies were found in a dumpster outside a pathology laboratory in Los, Angeles, California, some 12-15,000 were observed to be black." --Erma Clardy Craven (deceased) Social Worker and Civil Rights Leader continued - http://www.blackgenocide.org/black.html

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Eyewitness News has learned that a West Philadelphia doctor, his wife and eight other suspects are now under arrest following a grand jury Investigation. Sources say Dr. Kermit Gosnell faces eight counts of murder in the death of a woman following a botched abortion at his office at 38th and Lancaster Avenues, along with the deaths of seven other babies who, prosecutors allege, were born alive following illegal late-term abortions. Four of the suspects, some improperly licensed, also face multiple counts of murder for allegedly killing the newborns. All of the suspects are now behind bars after...

The first abortion commercial on British television is to be broadcast next week - in defiance of concerns from family groups and church leaders. The Marie Stopes organisation, which receives an estimated £30million a year from the NHS to carry out abortions, is behind the controversial advert. Angry campaigners claimed that Marie Stopes is taking advantage of a loophole in advertising regulations.   (edit)   Marie Stopes is keeping details of the commercial secret. But its theme is 'Are you late?', and features shots of worried-looking women. Marie Stopes carries out 65,000 abortions a year.  It receives fees estimated...