Dad in 'Family' gets 16 years Neglected, abused his 13 kids; one died

Yet another nutcase with a harem of simpleton women squirting out children only to abuse them. This sick sob and his whores need to be shot. /rant

A man named "Winnifred"
who abused children (one to death)
in prison.

Do the math. He's about to be OWNED.

How come the maximum is only 16 years?

16 years! That's IT!!!!

This is just sickening.

..before sentencing him to the maximum 16 years and eight months on six counts of child endangerment and an enhancement for the death of Ndigo.

I guess "child endangerment" laws don't carry harsh penalties.

Man, that Dad on "Family" has really changed over the years!

Unbelievable that 16 years is the max for what this monster did to those children. Thanks for posting this update. I remember when this story first broke. Mr. Wright may have quite a time of it in prison. Even felons have some standards - they don't much care for child abusers, and I'd imagine that starvation of a child isn't going to win him any points.

He earned the death sentence. Why doesn't he get it? He laready killed one defenseless child? Deformed and devestated others, mentally and emotionally. Just what the hell does it take for REAL punishment?

Hildy, here's another story that may explain the 16 years. The good ol' plea bargain.

Lucas Valley family leader gets 16 years
By Con Garretson, IJ reporter

Con Garretson

Lucas Valley family leader Winifred Wright was sentenced yesterday to 16 years and eight months in state prison for causing the malnutrition death of Ndigo, one of his 19 children, and subjecting a dozen of his siblings to a gravely injurious lifestyle - graphically depicted on videotape shown in court that the judge called "heartbreaking."

Several courtroom observers, including court house regulars and reporters, welled up with tears as one 5-year-old girl walked toward the camera - used to videotape medical examinations - with extremely bowed legs, knees close together and feet far apart, resulting from rickets.

Ndigo died of "respiratory and cardiac arrest ... as a result of rickets, which is brought on by neglect and malnourishment," according to court documents.

The children were made to live by a "Book of Rules," which called for belt lashings, tied restraint and the force-feeding of jalapeo peppers for such things as sneaking food and answering the front door of their Mt. Muir Court home, according to documents.

The video also showed a boy, who was 2 at the time of the examinations performed shortly after Ndigo's death, who was unable to walk or stand and erupted into tears when an older sibling had him sit up on an inspection table at the University of California at San Francisco Medical Center in November 2001.

The only other way the boy could move was to scoot across the floor on his buttocks or to push himself forward with his head in what was referred to as the "head walk" and "wheelbarrow walk."

Deputy District Attorney Barry Borden told Marin Superior Court Judge Terrence Boren that any reasonable person should have been able to tell the younger children needed medical attention.

Two of the children required major surgeries - one involving breaking and resetting bones - as a result of rickets and related medical conditions caused by a lack of calcium and minimal sunlight exposure from being kept inside the Lucas Valley house.

"Winifred Wright was, in fact, the architect of that little house of horrors ... and in the end he was the architect of his own demise," Borden said.

Some of the older children now live with Wright's father and the others have been placed with other families.

In a bid for a lesser sentence, defense attorney Mary Stearns said that Wright, who had not held a job since any of his children were born, should not be held accountable for the diets provided by his lovers-turned-co-defendants.

Borden said Wright was trying to "hide behind skirts of his female co-defendants."

Two of his co-defendants, scheduled to be sentenced next month, have indicated in documents that they believe they belonged to a cult led by Wright.

The judge sentenced Wright to the maximum term under the conditions of his plea deal with prosecutors that resulted in a second-degree murder charge being dropped, along with weapons charges tied to several unsecured and loaded guns in the home.

Wright, 46, would have faced a maximum sentence of 31 years to life in prison had he been convicted by a jury based on charges on which he originally had been indicted in February 2002.

Borden said Wright will have to serve at least 50 percent of his remaining sentence, after receiving 601 days worth of credit for his jail time, before becoming eligible for parole. Wright may not visit any of his children without a court order under Boren's sentence.

In his first public statements since his arrest, Wright, who faced forward without expression for most of the hearing, his dreadlocks hanging down to the pants of his yellow jail garb, told the court the nutritional system he followed had worked for decades for the Lucas Valley family until they experienced a "temporary blind spot" that resulted in "such tragic consequences" to "my dear son Ndigo."

He spoke of the family's alternative philosophical and religious beliefs, and said, "In the universal paradoxical sense it seems unfair (that in attempting to) build a great wall of love that we should be demonized for our mistakes," adding, later that he would accept any sanction by the court as "the will of God."

Boren said he had not seen any remorse on the part of Wright and made a religious observation of his own:

"I appreciate that Mr. Wright indicated that he was able to accept the will of God and I assume also the will of the court. It has been said that God's work on Earth must truly be our own and it just seems to me that should have been carried to the raising of these children."

Wright had 15 children with three of his co-defendants, two of which were born while their mothers were in jail. He had three other children with a woman who left the group more than a decade ago after one of her children died in San Francisco. Another child fathered by Wright, it was revealed yesterday, was born last summer to Kali Polk-Matthews, the youngest member of the group who had all of her charges dropped.

Contact Con Garretson via e-mail at cgarretson@marinij.com

Source

Wright, who had not held a job since any of his children were born...

So, let me guess, his "family" lived off of taxpayer funded social "welfare" programs?

In Marin County??? Why didn't he just declare himself a "victim" and a "Liberal" Democrat? All would be forgiven

Yet another nutcase with a harem of simpleton women squirting out children only to abuse them. This sick sob and his whores need to be shot. /rant

Elizabeth Smart almost ended up the same squalid way.

This is the kind of thing that happens when people start thinking about religion all the time, instead of only on Easter and Christmas as God intended.

So9 So9

This is not a 'dad' but a biological donor.

You think he's a moslem???