NEIL BEAGLEY - 16 yo - Oregon City OR

OREGON CITY, Ore. — An Oregon City couple was found guilty Tuesday in the death of their 16-year-old son.
Jeff and Marci Beagley were convicted of criminally negligent
homicide. The jury informed the Clackamas County Circuit Court of their
decision Tuesday afternoon, after the two-week trial ended last Friday.
The couple was scheduled for sentencing on Feb. 18.
During the trial, prosecutors argued that the Beagleys failed to
provide medical care to their son Neil when it could have saved his
life. The Beagleys are members of the Followers of Christ Church, which
avoids doctors. The couple said they prayed for their son to heal,
instead of seeking medical care. But during the trial, they also
testified that they did not realize their son's illness was
life-threatening.
On the criminally negligent homicide charges, 10 jurors voted guilty, two voted not guilty.

The judge ruled the defendants could remain out of custody under their
security posted early in the case and that they are not a flight risk.
The Beagley's attorneys argued that the teenager's symptoms looked
like a bad cold or the flu. Neil died in June 2008 of complications
from a congenital urinary tract blockage he had since birth that
doctors said could have been corrected and treated.


In a previous case, the Beagleys' daughter, Raylene Worthington, was
acquitted of manslaughter, along with her husband, after their
15-month-old daughter died from pneumonia and a blood infection. A jury
did, however, convict Raylene's husband, Carl of criminal mistreatment.
Raylene and Carl were also members of the Followers of Christ Church
when their child died.


When asked about his granddaughter's death during his trial, Jeff Beagley became very emotional and cried on the stand.
The Oregon Legislature changed state law on faith healing in 1999
after a series of child deaths among members of the Followers of Christ
Church. The current law states that children over the age of 15 have
the right to decide whether they want medical care, even if their
parents' religious beliefs say otherwise.This was one of the big issues
in the Beagley trial, since unlike Ava, their son Neil was older than
15 when he died.