Posted on 02/09/2014 2:57:16 PM PST by nickcarraway
Two US parents accused of killing their daughter by making her drink more than two litres of soft drink and water in a cruel and bizarre act of punishment have pleaded not guilty to her murder.
Father Randall Lee Vaughn, 41, and stepmother Mary Vaughn, 58, face charges of murder and child abuse following a two-year investigation into the death of 5-year-old Alexa Linboon. A discoloured and unresponsive Alexa Linboon was taken to an emergency room in the state of Tennessee on January 1, 2012, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Alexa experienced seizures and was legally declared brain dead.
She died two days later from "acute fluid/water intoxication" which caused her sodium levels to plummet and her brain to swell with water leading to the severe damage; her death later ruled a homicide.
Her parents said they disciplined Alexa after she stole one of her stepmother's cans of grape soda.
Her punishment was being forced to drink 2.4 litres of fluid including several cans of grape soda with in the space of two hours.
Three hours before she was taken to the hospital she had vomited and urinated in her pants. In an effort to calm her stomach, Alexa's parents fed her porridge but she passed out while eating, investigators were told.
An autopsy revealed the 5-year-old was bruised from head to toe and her face bore several scars.
The report also states Alexa — who has two brothers and three sisters — moved to Tennessee only three months before her death because of allegations of neglect at a previous, unspecified home.
Alexa's father and stepmother have been charged with first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse and two counts of aggravated child neglect.
They are due to appear in court in October and their bail has been set at half-a-million dollars.
Alexa's other five siblings were taken into state care in February 2013.
It's the quantity of liquid more than anything. This can happen with drinking plain water. It dilutes the electrolytes (salts) in the blood, and leads to mental confusion and possible death if untreated.
According to this article, an adult can safely drink up to a liter (about one quart) per hour.
It can happen. Any system can be overwhelmed. Poor kid. This really was torture, pure and simple.
Lets force feed those LIBERALS MURDERERS grape soda until they die. Jerks...
Here are several threads on Free Republic about a woman who died while participating in a radio show sponsored water drinking contest 7 years ago.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1767403/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1769325/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1769854/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/2374333/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2374173/posts
He is 41 and she is 58. Wow.
there is a special section in our state mental hospital for that particular problem...the patients are kept from water as much as possible, they will drink enough of it to kill themselves...very sad.
I agree
People have died from drinking too much water. It [the drinking has to be forced because the body naturally tries to reject it. It is rare, but it happens
I agree and the sooner and more painful the execution the better.
Off them!
Distilled water can be particularly deadly because it contains no minerals.
I remember that!
God rest this child’s soul.
This case brought that one to mind. Except that that woman did it to herself.
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