From the [Minneapolis-St. Paul] Star-Tribune, KSTP-TV:

A Minnesota man has gotten double the state’s recommended sentence for his role in the kidnapping, beating and torture of Justin Hamilton, 26, who has fetal alcohol syndrome and a developmental disability.

Jonathan Diepold was the last of five suspects sentenced for the attacks, in which Hamilton was lured from his home by acquaintances and brutalized over three days. Prosecutors said the men targeted Hamilton because a teenage girl made up a story that he had assaulted her.

Hamilton told reporters he doesn’t accept the apologies of those convicted of the crimes. “These men wanted to light me on fire alive and leave me for dead,” he said. “I will never forgive them and neither will God. No matter how much they go to church, no one’s ever going to forgive them.”

Earlier posts here.

From the [Minneapolis-St. Paul] Star Tribune:

A fifth and final suspect has been convicted in last year’s kidnapping and torture of a man with disabilities in rural Minnesota. Twenty-two year-old Jonathan M. Diepold was convicted of six violent crimes and a misdemeanor in the attack on Justin Hamilton 25, who has fetal alcohol syndrome. Prosecutors are seeking a sentence of at least eight years in prison.

Carolyn Hamilton, Justin’s mother, says her once happy-go-lucky son has emotional scars that will never go away.

A year later, he not only has nightmares but also day terrors when he recalls smelling gasoline and hearing them discuss whether they would set him on fire, before he passed out, Carolyn Hamilton said.

… “Justin will have a lot to deal with for a long time after they’ve finished their prison sentences,” she said.

Earlier posts here.

From the Chicago Tribune, Irish Times:

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) Awareness Day, held annually on the ninth day of the ninth month, seeks to draw attention to what many advocates call an “invisible disability.”

The date of the event emphasizes the importance of taking a 9-month pause from drinking alcohol during pregnancy.

Almost 30 years after the U.S. surgeon general began issuing warnings about alcohol-related brain disorders, advocates say the syndrome is not as well recognized as autism, epilepsy or other developmental disorders. Among the reasons, advocates say: social stigma, ambivalence about alcohol consumption during pregnancy, and lack of training for doctors.

The CDC and American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists say no amount of alcohol can be considered safe for consumption during pregnancy.

From the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Minneapolis Star Tribune:

In interviews, Carolyn Hamilton says her son Justin Hamilton, 24, who has developmental disabilities, feels terrified after being tortured and savagely beaten for two nights last week. She says he wakes up screaming and begs his father to go with him everywhere, even to the bathroom.

Carolyn Hamilton said her son was dragged behind a vehicle, tied to a tree and repeatedly burned with a cigarette lighter.

“They threatened to set him on fire. They talked among themselves about him being evidence,” she said.

“There are people who prey on the mentally ill, the weak of society,” she said.

Authorities say Justin Hamilton was lured from his Lakeville home Oct. 10 by a former high school classmate and a 16-year-old Lakeville girl he referred to as his “sister.” Five people have been charged in the attacks.

See also:

Too quick to trust those who pretend to care — Minneapolis Star Tribune. Experts say people with fetal alcohol syndrome can be easy targets

See earlier posts here and here.

From the [St. Paul, MN] Pioneer Press:

Authorities in Minnesota say they have filed a series of new felony charges against three men accused in the torture and beating of Justin Hamilton, a man with intellectual disabilities. Included among them is the charge of “assault motivated by bias.”

The two men accused of orchestrating the attack are members of the Minnesota Army National Guard, and the third passed criminal background checks to work with adults with developmental disabilities.

“We’re alleging that (the victim) was assaulted because of his disability,” said a county attorney. A lesser assault charge was dropped in the case of a fourth suspect because he also has an intellectual disability.

The crime has alarmed advocates for the disabled and renewed calls in some corners for greater state oversight of human service programs.

… In 2007, a study by the Minnesota Department of Health determined that people with disabilities are four to 10 times more likely to be victims of violence, abuse or neglect than other people …

(Photo of suspects  Jonathon Michael Diepold, 21; and John Maxwell Maniglia, 19, from St. Paul Pioneer Press)

Earlier post here.

From the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Fox TV,

Authorities say four men lured a 24-year-old man with intellectual disabilities from his home near Minneapolis to a remote area last weekend, where they tortured him for hours over two days and left him for dead.

Criminal complaints say the torture included tying Justin Hamilton to a tree, beating him and burning him with cigarette lighters. His mother said she was told he was tied to a motorcycle and dragged 200 feet.

The four men were charged with assault and kidnapping in connection with the attacks, which authorities characterized as “savage,” and were being held in the Dakota County Jail. One of the men is an employee of an organization that works with disabled adults.

Authorities said they are still investigating the motive for the attacks, but said the men allegedly accused the victim of assaulting a 16-year-old girl. Charges against the girl are expected.

Related stories:

Second teen sentenced for torturing disabled woman — Kentucky Post

Teen gets 39 years in torture attack — Cincinnati Inquirer

Justin and his adoptive mother

One person’s journey through the years ‘miraculous’ — and costly

From the Anchorage Daily News:

Justin Scott sits at his dining room table dabbing pink frosting on a snowman sugar cookie and humming “Silent Night.” The chaos of his young niece and nephew decorating their own cookies bubbles around him.

If the 20-year-old could sing to his family maybe he would. But Justin can’t form the words to talk. His best communication is through jerky motions of American Sign Language.

There are a lot of things Justin can’t do.

(more…)