Cult starved one year old child to death... for not saying 'amen'.

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**Wrexasaur**

http://wjz.com/local/cult.baby.charges.2.1646854.html

A baby is starved to death for not saying amen. Now the child's mother is sentenced for not reporting that abuse.

The one-year old died at the hands of a religious cult who's leader demanded he not be fed, saying he was possessed. Suzanne Collins reports the child's mother was given a more lenient sentence than the other cult members convicted of murder.

Ria Ramkissoon is believed to have been brainwashed by the cult's leader into denying her son food. She was released from jail Wednesday after helping convict the others, but she must get treatment.

Little Javon Thompson wasn't saying the proper prayers at meals. One Mind Ministry's leader, Queen Antoinette demanded he not be fed.

After his starvation death in Baltimore, his body was later found stuffed in a suitcase in Pennsylvania.

Prosecutors say the child's mother Ria Ramkissoon must take responsibility, but she did testify against the others, and she is a victim too.

"There was no malice in her at all regarding this baby. None. And we want to punish people for acts that are malicious," said Julie Drake, assistant state's attorney.

The cult leader Antoinette and two other cult members have been convicted of murder. Ramkissoon has spent two years in jail, but the judge ordered her released Wednesday as long as she follows certain rules.

Ramkissoon must attend a live-in treatment program that's out of state. It's a Christian-based facility.

If she complies with that requirement and all other conditions of her probation, she won't have to go back to prison.

Her mother, who was iced out of her life completely before, has been invited back in.

The two visit at jail every week, but the grandmother still cries when she thinks of the baby's death and her daughter's predicament.

"I never stopped loving her and caring for her, never stopped. In fact, I thought she needed me more than anything else," said Seeta Kahdan-Newton, Ramkissoon's mother.

In a plea bargain over a year ago, Ramkissoon admitted guilt and said she'd tell a jury what happened. But she still wanted a guarantee all charges would be dropped if the child rose from the dead.

That unusual term was still part of Wednesday's sentencing.

"I think she's starting to realize, albeit painfully realize, that there will be no resurrections. Queen never spoke with God, and Ria and her child were just pawns in the queen's fantasy world," said Steve Silverstein.

If Ramkissoon violates the terms of her five year probation, she could end up serving a 20 year sentence instead.

The cult leader and two members have been convicted of second degree murder but not yet sentenced.

This woman is obviously disturbed, does she deserve more than just probation? I suppose she is just a step away from being locked up, but I can't imagine this mother being anywhere besides a loony bin.

**Soladrin**

She deserves a bullet through the head along with that cult.

Brainwashing is an awfully handy excuse for stupidity it seems.

**agnosto**

Parents...
Reminds me of that story of the parents that wouldn't allow their child to receive medical care because it was against their religion.

**The Dreadnote**

If by "stupidity" you mean "insanity"...

**Soladrin**

The Dreadnote wrote:If by "stupidity" you mean "insanity"...

I do not, because insanity is also used as an excuse to get lighter punishment.

**Frazzled**

Soladrin wrote:She deserves a bullet through the head along with that cult.

Brainwashing is an awfully handy excuse for stupidity it seems.

We typically disagree, but not in this instance.

And in honor of Soladrin's Germanic background I respectfully submit the appropriate tool for reformation of the cult.

**Da Boss**

I feel sorry for that woman, to be honest.
I dunno.
What a sad situation.

**Black Corsair**

Cults.... pfff i can say by my own.... i was raised and grown in a cult that i will not recall for "respect", some of the cults are insane as forementioned, another ones, destroy people's free will and conscience.... no matters how they do, all they make you harm.... in unsuspected ways....

of course i'm out...

**Wrexasaur**

Da Boss wrote:I feel sorry for that woman, to be honest.
I dunno.
What a sad situation.

I am in the same boat man... I really am not sure what to think.

I do have to add (and this reminds me of the case from Korea, although different in most ways) that I DO NOT feel sorry for the cult leader, and have a VERY hard time having any empathy for the other cult members. Which... makes me wonder why I single out this woman as sad, instead of just completely insane.

Hmm... it also looks like the original article just got updated with all sorts of defensive quotes for the mother... that's weird...

**Soladrin**

For me its a clear cut case. A mother so blind as to let her own child die, is to stupid to live.

**Da Boss**

I understand the sentiment. I used to be like that too, clear cut judgements.
I find it harder to be like that these days. It's terrible that she did that, and possibly she should be punished.
I still feel sorry for her, not angry at her. Anger seems like the wrong response in such a pathetically sad situation.

**JohnHwangDD**

Frazzled wrote:
Soladrin wrote:She deserves a bullet through the head along with that cult.

Brainwashing is an awfully handy excuse for stupidity it seems.

We typically disagree, but not in this instance.

And in honor of Soladrin's Germanic background I respectfully submit the appropriate tool for reformation of the cult.

I disagree strongly.

I hear heads splat like ripe watermelon.

**Orkeosaurus**

One Mind Ministry's leader, Queen Antoinette demanded he not be fed.

Not even cake?

**Cheese Elemental**

Orkeosaurus wrote:
One Mind Ministry's leader, Queen Antoinette demanded he not be fed.
Not even cake?

There is no cake. There cake is a lie.

**Manchu**

The hard part about really being insane is that sane people have a very difficult time deciding if you are faking it. Of course, things only become more opaque when the sane ones are convinced you have a motive for being insane.

Automatically Appended Next Post:

Cheese Elemental wrote:There cake is a lie.

Please see my sig.

**Grambo**

Boom,headshot.

**eldarbgamer13**

Religeon screwing with peoples lives again, I agree with soladrin. I think they need to be starved to death, not shot.

**Golden Eyed Scout**

*Sigh*...

That's just fethed up.

**Owain**

As she was brainwashed, I believe it best to begin the process by bringing her to some semblance of sanity. When she's better acquainted with reality, we can see just how she feels about what she's done.

Automatically Appended Next Post:
I think forcing her to understand the reality of what she's done is punishment enough. As for the rest of those nutters, I submit the following:

**sebster**

Soladrin wrote:Brainwashing is an awfully handy excuse for stupidity it seems.

Cult members tend to be smarter than average actually. Being disaffected and lonely can lead people to surrender their identity and start taking on the beliefs of a closed group. Then it starts getting crazy.

Whether or not this lady should have been able to rise above that to stop her child being starved is a really, really hard question. I do know that in time, now that she's seperated from the group she'll start to realise what really happened and that it killed her child, and that's more punishment right there than any court could ever inflict.

**Dreadwinter**

So wait.

Was her first name Queen or was that a title she demanded?

**Kilkrazy**

Soladrin wrote:For me its a clear cut case. A mother so blind as to let her own child die, is to stupid to live.

You might be surprised at the amount of pressure a close social group can generate.

**Albatross**

We hear about this sort of mad gak all the time - it's a Nigerian religious thing isn't it? It sounds like a few cases over here where african families have starved and beaten/tortured and even killed their kids because they believe they are 'witches' or 'demons'. There's a whole industry behind this sort of gak - videos, self-help books...

It's not insane, it's just fething BACKWARDS. Witches?!? DEMONS!???! Why don't you join us over here IN THE 21ST fething CENTURY?

**MeanGreenStompa**

Like the Saudis? Or most of Africa, vast areas of Asia or even Eastern Europe?

Even my gran's previous church, an evangelical born again Christian organisation part of an alliance across Europe and USA, touts demonic possession, speaking in tongues, raptures, book burning and 'interventions'.

These are the dark side of belief and people's need to believe.

The state should, in this particular case, intervene and remove the children of anyone in this Godless cult and place them into fostering. Those who join these cults have proven themselves incapable of making the right decisions for their own lives and thereby incapable of decent child rearing skills.

Also, for all the US is good at being more draconian in many laws in comparison to the UK, we are a damned sight better at not allowing these sorts of cults to gain a foothold.

I'd also mentino the Jehovah's Witnesses at this point. I also believe the state should over-rule them in matters of their children recieving appropriate medical care.

**Cheese Elemental**

MGS: I have a Church of Jehovah's Witnesses about five minutes walk from my house. Every so often I find a flyer in my letterbox full of rubbish about how Catholics are evil, and video games are evil, and liberals are evil, etc etc.

Figures they'd set up shop away from a city. Thankfully, most of the churchgoers I know of go to the community church instead. I like those people; they don't come to my door every second sunday yammering about damnation.

**Erasoketa**

I demand NAPALM!

**Emperors Faithful**

Da Boss wrote:I understand the sentiment. I used to be like that too, clear cut judgements.
I find it harder to be like that these days. It's terrible that she did that, and possibly she should be punished.
I still feel sorry for her, not angry at her. Anger seems like the wrong response in such a pathetically sad situation.

My sentiments exactly. I just feel sad for the mother, not anger. The cult on the other hand...

**garret**

You Know. I see read threads like this and i see alot of people in dakka would really beneifet from a sociology class. These people need help not to be punished. And i think maybe the cult leadr just idk prison. Even if he does get murder some how he will plead insanity.

**Orkeosaurus**

Sounds like manslaughter from the mother. Given that the prosecution was looking to secure a plea bargain from her against the cult's leadership I can't say that I'm too disappointed with the outcome of the case.

**Soladrin**

garret wrote:You Know. I see read threads like this and i see alot of people in dakka would really beneifet from a sociology class. These people need help not to be punished. And i think maybe the cult leadr just idk prison. Even if he does get murder some how he will plead insanity.

Why? To let me know that the current law system is far to lenient? I don't need classes for that.