Followers of Christ (Oregon)
Faith-healing couple sentenced to more than six years in prison
The parents of a newborn who died while they and Followers of Christ members prayed for him to be healed have received the maximum jail terms allowed by law and three years of post-prison probation following their conviction on manslaughter charges... Read the rest of this entry »
Jurors in faith-healing trial say evidence overpowered a weak defense
Jurors deliberated less than four hours and their verdict sent another resounding warning to the members of the Hickmans' church, the Followers of Christ, that failing to provide medical care to critically ill children is unacceptable and will be puni... Read the rest of this entry »
Jury convicts Dale, Shannon Hickman of manslaughter in faith-healing trial
Dale and Shannon Hickman have been convicted of second degree manslaughter in the death of their newborn son. Members of the Followers of Christ church, they elected to attempt faith healing rather than get their son medical aid. Read the rest of this entry »
Rift forming in Followers of Christ church over medical help issue?
Following testimony Tuesday in the latest case involving the death of a child whose parents are members of Followers of Christ -- a controversial Oregon City church -- a decades-old rift in the tight-knit religious group over using modern medicine h... Read the rest of this entry »
Jury deliberates fate of parents in faith-healing case
Dale and Shannon Hickman are charged with second-degree manslaughter in the death of their son, David, who was born two months early and lived less than nine hours. They are members of the Followers of Christ, an Oregon City church that uses faith-hea... Read the rest of this entry »
Parents defend using prayer, not medical care, in faith-healing baby’s death
On Tuesday -- the second anniversary of David Hickman's death -- his parents took the witness stand and told jurors that there was nothing they could have done to save their newborn boy. Even now, they said, they would do nothing differently. Read the rest of this entry »
Grandmother in faith-healing trial says it was not her place to call 9-1-1
The maternal grandmother of a premature baby that died less than nine hours after birth said Tuesday that she was not concerned with the infant's health and would not have called an ambulance when he struggled for breath because it was not her decisio... Read the rest of this entry »
Baby in faith-healing case should have survived, neonatologist testifies
A pediatrician who specializes in newborns and premature infants testified Monday that David Hickman would have survived if his parents had called for help. Dale and Shannon Hickman took "a real and avoidable risk" with their child's life, Dr. Joseph... Read the rest of this entry »
Parents in Followers of Christ case made ‘a horrible choice,’ physician testifies
Dale and Shannon Hickman made "a horrible choice" for their child when they decided to go to a relative's house for the premature birth instead of immediately heading to a hospital, a pediatrician testified Friday at the faith healing couple's manslau... Read the rest of this entry »
Defense attorneys focus on prosecution’s role in Followers of Christ manslaughter case
Defense attorneys representing Dale and Shannon Hickman tried to turn the tables Thursday by making the Clackamas County district attorney's office the focus of their clients' faith-healing homicide trial. Read the rest of this entry »