This "mother" deserves the death penalty.How did these "parents" ever adopt a child??
Sounds like something is very wrong with the system that allowed this adoption not to mention child welfare services. The "therapist" should also be put on trial if he or she actually recommended this abuse. How tragic!

Don't they understand that some children go through this phase of not eating/drinking a lot? My 2yearold son right now asks for only a slice of bread for all his meals, but drinks like crazy. I don't let him eat just bread- I put peanut butter on it or have him eat more for dinner, but come on- forcefeeding a child is not healthy. Not even for a punishment. Even I as an adult couldn't drink a whole gallon of water in one sitting. And I LOVE water!

i agree with mjbauer. that therapist needs to be sentenced as well. or at least lose their license for telling the parents to treat their child in such harsh ways. it's completely barbaric! i would NEVER treat a child in that manner, even if a doctor told me to. it's common sense.

I had some of these same concerns, until I met and spent time with the family. I truely think that the parents of cassandra were utterly frustrated and at a loss of how to handle her. Of course with frustration can bring anger; and desperate actions were taken to try and solve Cassandra's issues. Actions that were taken seem to have been unethical, but parenting is hard and with bad counseling from their therapist they may have been just VERY misguided as well. They parents are loving people and have four other wonderful children. I believe that misguidence and utter desperation is at much fault in this case.

This child was punished for drinking Koolaid? I want to know why a child is punished for drinking or eating anything?

Shouldn't a child be fed or given drink when they are hungry or thirsty?

I know parents who only let their kids eat on a schedule, apparently these parents had a schedule for drinking too.

If parents are so mean spirited / clueless, they deserve to be punished. I hope other parents take notice.

It is hard to fathom why the husband/father was not held more accountable. He participated in holding the little girl down to be forced to drink water, and apparently stood by while she was forced to exercise to excess, before she actually died.

At the least wasn't he an accomplice?

To friend- I have four healthy grown children so I know all about parenting. I worked for LDS family services with unwed mothers and also did foster care. There is NO EXCUSE WHAT SO EVER for what this lady did! And shame on the therapist!

Its always easy to pass judgment and condemnation when you don't know the whole story ...Richard was charged and was acquitted at the trial. I know Jennete from a program I participate in at the prison. I would offer that in my opinion this is a young women who loved her children very much and truly believed she was doing her best... she was definitely overwhelmed and did not have very good coping skills, thats for sure... The water therapy that they were following has been prohibited in Utah now... and that treatment center had been closed down... The irony is that the Prison required her to take a parenting class and the textbook that was used in the class was written by the fellow who developed the 'water therapy" treatment !!!! I do believe Jennette has some serious issues of her own that need treatment and counseling - not imprisonment, where there is little if any proper counseling available. She won't be eligible for a parole board hearing until 2011.

Their is NO EXCUSE WHATSOEVER to do this to a child! Being frusterated is a very poor excuse at that! If she couldn't handle the child, why didn't she give it back or at least give it to someone that can love it.

Okay Oracle, she didn't have very good coping skills? Neither does anyone that takes the life of a child in such a manner. Also, the facility wasn't "shut down". One of the principals died in a car crash and the decision was to close the practice. I believe they refuted her accusations of advising her to do water therapy. She got the idea from another source.

Your belief that "Jennete has serious issues that can use some treatment and not incarceration", that goes to my belief that incarceration should include treatment for most inmates. They all have issues. We do a terrible injustice to our society when we do not rehabilitate those that can be rehabilitated. It leads to repeat offenders. I say let's rehab our inmates as much as possible.

God bless the father and other children. I'm sure this is an extremely difficult time for them. As for Jennete, being incarceated is the consequence of being so aggressive towards her adopted daughter that it resulted in her death. She was responsible for the child's death - even if it was an accident. It is reasonable to expect an adult to know that such treatment is abusive.