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Background: Spurgeons
Daniel and Jenise Rae Spurgeon were caretakers of at least 14 children, some reports indicate as many as 15. The former Florence couple were charged in Alabama and Florida of the abuse of all but their three biological offspring.
Convicted in Alabama, Daniel received a 25 year sentence with no chance of parole. Among his convictions were Sexual Torture and First Degree Rape. When the 52 year-old wildlife expert and author leaves prison in July 2041, he will be required to register as a sex offender:
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And his wife? She received five years of actual prison time in Florida and only one in Alabama. The 59 year-old's sentences are to be served concurrently, meaning she'll be free in slightly over four years.
There's no doubt that Jenise Rae Spurgeon was complicit in the physical abuse of the children in her home. Is she that different than Judith Neelley?
At least Jenise will be serving her time in Florida, and Alabama taxpayers will not be responsible for her upkeep.
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It is very difficult to develop a positive conclusion on Jenise Spurgeon without having sat on the jury. I agree that it seems highly doubtful that she would not have known what was happening and very likely she participated in the torture of the children. It is hard to understand how the justice system saw such a wide difference in the punishment between this duo.
ReplyDeleteWhat I have seen is what I consider an inequity in the justice system. While inequality between male and female more often falls to the man’s favor, there are instances where it falls against the male. That tendency is slowly dying away, but it is hard to change direction of a large boat in deep water.
Historically many states have been considered a “mother” state where child custody decisions tend to favor the mother. Lately that trend has changed and the modern model is to consider the best interest of the children. While custody is not at issue in this instance, we must wonder if the facts were given weight accordingly or with bias. Natural instinct often pushes against considering what a mother can do, but experience often tells us otherwise.
If the justice system inappropriately applied the consequences the best we can hope for is a lesson learned. That is little comfort for the victims in such cases.
'Best guess'? Her attorney managed to convince the jury that she was a 'victim", too.
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