Horrific

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There is an ongoing criminal trial here in Western New York. It's a story of a gruesome murder that was preceded by torture, sodomy, abuse, and indifference. It all happened in the small town where I grew up...North Collins...a town where two police officers were murdered. A town of a few thousand people. A close-knit community by all accounts where murder and torture are hardly considered...until it happens.

I nearly threw up when I watched the court testimony on the evening news. The mentally-deficient girl who was murdered was sexually abused by her two brothers. She was tied to a chair through the day, and tied to a different, 'slightly more comfortable' chair for her night of sleep.

She was scalded with hot water and her teeth were pulled because she had a habit of grinding them. Her mother, the obviously mentally-deficient mother, was convicted of the murder. I'd seen the woman in town through the years. Thankfully I never spoke to her.

The one brother, who is mentally-deficient and brain damaged is now on trial. What do we, as a society, do with him? Was he responsible? Did he know the difference between right and wrong?

Thankfully that isn't my call.

The other brother is slightly less damaged, but by all accounts is mentally-deficient. He has worked thousands of hours, in the community, doing menial tasks. He witnessed the abuse, but was sworn to keep the secrets because he had sex with his sister when he was ten and she was eight. He spent his life as a victim of blackmail as his mother and aunt held his horrific moment over his head.

Are you freaking kidding me? If I wrote that as fiction no one would believe it, and that's because there is no way it should happen.

Someone knew. There were people in that community who turned a blind eye to the neon lights that flashed a warning. There was an aunt, who knew the difference between right and wrong and decided to choose wrong. She should be on trial next. She should have a fair trial, and when found guilty, locked away forever, hopefully tied to a chair.

There were social workers who did no work.

I feel like throwing up again.

Ghastly.
Horrific.
Horrendous.
Pitiful.
Heinous.
Disgusting.
Putrid.

Help me out here.

I'm running out of words.

God help us all.

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