7-year-old boy testifies against his parents in felony child abuse case
7-year-old boy testifies against his parents in felony child abuse case
POSTED: 04/11/2012 01:00:00 AM MDT
UPDATED: 04/11/2012 06:02:11 PM MDTBy Jessica Fender
The Denver Post
GOLDEN — The 7-year-old boy at the center of the felony child abuse trial of his adoptive parents couldn't recall details such as how much time passed between his tumble down the stairs and when he became unresponsive the evening Sept. 17, 2010.
What he remembered during testimony today were details that would be highlights to a young child — the helicopter ride to the hospital, the TV in his recovery room — and an allegation that could prove damning for his adoptive mother.
He said Christine Arnold pushed him down that flight of stairs.
"I went to the hospital. I had a bad, bad, bad headache from falling down the stairs," the child testified. "She pushed me... It did not happen the same day as the hospital."
Prosecutors say a stressed Christine Arnold regularly beat the boy with a belt and did not give him enough to eat. Her husband Randall Arnold did not stop the abuse, authorities allege.
The couple's defense attorneys say the boy had serious and at times self-injurious behavior problems that account for the bruises and marks authorities found on his body after Christine Arnold called 9-1-1 in 2010.
The soft-spoken boy testified through closed circuit television from Judge Lilly Oeffler's chambers. Smiling and wearing a suit, he appeared healthy and cooperative as he struggled to recall events that happened as many as three years ago.
He talked about punishments allegedly meted out by the Arnolds: standing in time outs with his arms raised over his head, being forced to take cold showers, being spanked with a belt that left marks on his chest, shoulder and back.
The Arnolds installed a lock on the outside of his bedroom door that they used at night and during nap times, he said.
"One night I got out of my room because I was hungry. I was sneaking to the kitchen to try to find something to eat," said the boy, adding he got caught. "The next day, they put (the lock) on."
Prosecutors allege the boy — who weighed 30 pounds at age 6 — was suffering from malnutrition.
But he testified Wednesday that he remembers eating microwave dinners at the Arnolds, including chicken nuggets and spaghetti.
He also told defense attorneys that he is better behaved now than he used to be.
The defense has promised to show that the child has a history of rages that include hitting himself with a wooden spoon, throwing himself onto the floor and into furniture.
Jessica Fender: 303-954-1244 or jfender@denverpost.com