A Washington couple charged with starving, beating and pushing their daughter outside to punish her will learn their fate in court on Tuesday.
Larry and Carri Williams are currently on trial for alleged manslaughter, in the death of their teenage daughter who they adopted from Ethiopia.
The Williamses face long prison sentences, according to the Independent Record - Carri is up for 27 to 37 years, along with a conviction of homicide by abuse, while Larry faces a recommended sentence of 14 to 18 years. Larry was not at home at the time of Hana Williams' death on May 12, 2011.
Hana was found in the backyard of the family's home in Sedro-Woolley, a town located about 60 miles north of Seattle. Following an autopsy, Hana was pronounced dead by hypothermia, which was exacerbated by malnutrition and a stomach condition. Carry Williams called 911 the night she died, and told the operator on the line that Hana was not breathing, and that she would not come into the house. Police found Hana face-down on the backyard ground, her mouth stuffed with mud.
Hana is thought to have been 13 years old, but there was no log of her birthdate from Ethiopia to confirm. Teeth and bone tests offered differing estimates, making the trial an even stickier one - homicide by abuse charges only apply if the deceased wasn't older than 16.
The couple was convicted after seven weeks of trial in Skagit County Superior Court. The defense testified that controversial methods of parenting weren't necessarily grounds for criminal charges.
Larry and Carri were found guilty of assault of another child, after they reportedly used force to punish a boy they'd adopted in 2008 from Ethiopia. The boy told jurors that Carri and Larry beat him with sticks and belts, in addition to spraying him with a water hose if he wet his pants, the Independent Record reported.
After the two were arrested from the initial trial, the boy, along with six biological children, were put in the care of relatives and foster homes.
