Parents guilty on all charges in JeffCo child abuse trial

Parents guilty on all charges in JeffCo child abuse trial

By JESSICA FENDER The Denver Post

Jefferson County jurors found Christine Arnold — accused of starving, beating and pushing her adopted 6-year-old son down a flight of stairs — and her husband Randal each guilty this afternoon of two felony counts of child abuse.

Jurors listened to hours of competing expert testimony regarding the boy’s injuries, saw photographs of his back striped with bruises and cuts, and heard the child himself describe having a “bad, bad, bad headache” after Christine Arnold pushed him down the stairs at their home.

The panel took less than a day to deliberate in a case the prosecution called “tough.”

“It was clear to us this was a child being seriously abused in a number of ways,” said prosecutor Katie Kurtz. “Now he’s in a foster home doing very well in a safe and nurturing environment with people who love and cherish him.”

Christine Arnold called 9-1-1 in September 2010 to report her son was lethargic after a fall down the stairs.

The child, who weighed as little as 30 pounds at that point, told investigators Christine Arnold waited at least a day before she sought medical help. He also described being struck with a belt, being forced to take hot and cold showers and being locked in his room for hours at a time after he was caught sneaking food from the kitchen while at their home.

Defense attorneys for the couple tried to convince jurors that the boy suffered from an emotional disorder that affected his eating and caused him to injure himself.

The couple remains free on bond until their June 18 sentencing date, when they face up to 32 years in prison for each of the felony counts against them.