Light Sentence for Killer Priest

Church elder Ray Hemphill in Milwaukee killed eight year old Terrance Cottrell Jr. by laying on his chest for at least an hour in an effort to release "demons" from him. His sentence? 30 months in jail.

The San Francisco Chronicle reports:

"It was your unreasonable and reckless conduct that caused this child to die," Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Jean DiMotto told Hemphill. ... Terrance died at the Faith Temple Church of the Apostolic Faith in Milwaukee, where Hemphill was a church elder and where the boy and his mother were members. ... The judge also sentenced Hemphill to 71/2 years of extended supervision and ordered him to pay about $1,200 in restitution. He had faced a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $25,000 fine.

It’s a pretty light sentence — and I wouldn’t be surprised if Hemphill doesn’t for a second doubt any of the absurd beliefs which led him to kill that boy. Faith can be dangerous and deadly, but so few of the faithful recognize this or acknowledge any of the problems with it.

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