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Thompson guilty of murder

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Thompson guilty of murder

Jury rejects Springville woman's defense that a sister killed girl

October 20, 2001

Jennifer M. Fitzenberger

The Fresno Bee

VISALIA -- Angela Thompson murdered her 5-year-old adopted daughter by forcing an older sibling to sit on the child's hunched back, squeezing the life out of her, a jury decided Friday.

Thompson, 42, dropped her head and sobbed as a judge read the verdict: guilty of second-degree murder, assault on a child younger than 8 causing death and felony abuse of Rachel Joy Thompson.

The Tulare County jury, which deliberated 21/2 days, also found Thomp?son guilty of misdemeanor abuse of two of her other 11 adopted children.

[This is an excerpt of the original article]

2001 Oct 20