Murder of Laree Slack

Laree A. Slack (July 4, 1989 – November 11, 2001) was the victim of child abuse that led to her death. She was whipped with "an inch-thick section of rubberized electrical cable filled with strands of wire"[1] repeatedly [2] and died from internal bleeding several hours later.

Trial

Her father, Larry Slack Sr., was convicted of first-degree murder in 2006 as a result of the beating.[3] He received a life sentence for the murder and a 30-year sentence for aggravated battery of a child.[4] The mother, Constance Slack, received a 25-year sentence after pleading guilty to murder.[5] The beatings of Laree and her eight-year-old brother started because of a claimed failure to properly clear away laundry, leading to difficulty finding a credit card. The father's interpretation of Biblical injunctions regarding the punishment of children were a factor in the severity of the beating. The parents were devout Jehovah's Witnesses who home-schooled their six children. Investigators said the parents decided to administer Biblical discipline in the form of "40 lashes minus one, three times".[1]

The crime was used as an illustration in the 2005 edition of the textbook Delinquency in society that an "intact two parent family" with strong religious values is not so important as having a "loving family" in preventing violence toward children.[6]

References
  1. Maureen O'Donnell, Ana Mendieta, Annie Sweeney. "Biblical beating kills girl: cops". Chicago Sun-Times; Chicago, Illinois. November 13, 2001.
  2. Kirsten Scharnberg and Eric Ferkenhoff. "Girl died after parents hit her 160 times, court told". Chicago Tribune; Chicago, Illinois. November 14, 2001, News Section, page 1.
  3. Jeff Coen. "Fatal beating by dad called 'torture' ; Father convicted in daughter's murder". Chicago Tribune; Chicago, Illinois. April 28, 2006, Metro Section, page 8.
  4. Esposito, Stefano (June 2, 2006). "Man gets life in prison for whipping death: Judge: 'You beat your own daughter like a slave master hitting a slave'". Chicago Sun Times. Archived from the original on November 3, 2012. Retrieved February 17, 2010.
  5. Esposito, Stefano (May 2, 2006). "Mom gets 25 years for helping beat 12-year-old to death". Chicago Sun Times. Archived from the original on November 3, 2012. Retrieved February 17, 2010.
  6. Regoli, Robert M.; Hewitt, John D. (2005-06-22). Delinquency in society (6th ed.). McGraw-Hill. p. 92. ISBN 978-0-07-298968-7. Retrieved February 17, 2010.
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