Tulare County mother convicted of killing her adopted daughter denied parole

SHEYANNE N ROMERO   Visalia Times-Delta

A Tulare County woman serving a life sentence for the 2000 death of her 5-year-old adopted daughter will remain in prison, according to Tulare County District Attorney's Office.

Last week, prosecutors secured a parole denial for Angela Thompson.

In October 2001, a jury convicted Thompson, 64, of second-degree murder, assault on a child likely to cause great bodily injury or death, and child abuse. She is currently serving a life sentence at the California Institution for Women in Corona in Southern California.

The denial is for five years, according to prosecutors. This was Thompson’s second parole hearing.

“This child’s murder was horrific and impacted everyone in this office in a profound way,” District Attorney Tim Ward said following the parole denial. “Once again, I commend the efforts of all staff for taking a stance for victims and being a voice for those who lost theirs. This office will continue oppose these releases.”

A deadly car ride

At the time of the crime, Thompson had 12 adopted children.

On Sept. 7, 2000, Thompson was at an urgent care appointment when one of the children came in from the family car saying that the victim, a 5-year-old girl, was not breathing. A staff member from the clinic rushed the girl to Sierra View Hospital in Porterville where doctors were unable to save her.

At the hospital, the child had a 105-degree temperature and showed signs of "extreme child abuse," prosecutors said. Her injuries included scarring consistent with restraining devices, burn scarring from hot liquid, multiple broken bones and physical signs of severe sexual abuse.

Although they feared Thompson, two children eventually spoke with authorities about the "rampant abuse," they suffered at the hands of their adopted mother.

On the day the 5-year-old girl died, Thompson ordered her 17-year-old daughter to sit on the child’s back during a car ride from Travis Air Force Base to Porterville. The trip takes about five hours. The girl screamed and cried during the entire trip, according to the surviving children. Thompson also refused to give the girl water.

The punishment was inflicted because the girl had eaten her food too slowly, according to testimony given during the 2001 trial.

The children’s statements and medical evidence led doctors to rule the child's cause of death as positional asphyxiation, prosecutors said.

A 'harrowing' pattern of abuse

During the investigation, detectives said they uncovered a "harrowing pattern of abuse" perpetrated by Thompson against her the children.

Some acts of abuse were given names, prosecutors said.

“Crying” meant putting a plastic bag over the child’s face. “Gurgled” meant force feeding in which Thompson would put on rubber gloves and force food down a child's throat. She would do this when the children were not eating fast enough. “Plunging” meant putting the children in the bathtub with their face under a running faucet. “Poking” involved being poked on the hands, feet, underarms, mouth, gums, ear, or lips with a needle or safety pin, according to court records.

Much of the abuse consisted of spankings with belts or spoons or hitting the kneecaps with a rod, prosecutors said.

Prior to her death, the child was hospitalized for a skull fracture after an alleged fall from a bunk bed. In a later review, a neurosurgeon determined the injury had a "high probability of infliction," prosecutors said.

At the child’s pre-adoption physical in 1999, no injuries were observed.