Jury gets pediatrician waterboarding case

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press

Jury gets pediatrician waterboarding case
| February 13, 2014 | Updated: February 13, 2014 3:18am

GEORGETOWN, Del. (AP) — The fate of a former pediatrician accused of waterboarding his longtime companion's daughter by holding the girl's head under a faucet is in the hands of a Delaware jury.

Jurors heard closing arguments Wednesday in the trial of 60-year-old Melvin Morse. Morse is charged with assault and endangerment. He could face more than 15 years in prison if convicted on all charges.

Jury deliberations were to begin Thursday unless postponed by a winter storm.

Morse claims the alleged waterboarding was simply attempts by him to wash the girl's hair.


Read more: http://www.chron.com/news/crime/article/Jury-gets-pediatrician-waterboarding-case-5230624.php

[trusty elf]

1. Bush & Dick can use that as a defense, should they ever need to.

We just wanted to wash the terrists' hair.

[pipoman]

2. I thought this paragraph was interesting. .

But the 12-year-old girl and her mother, who reached a plea deal, say he used hair-washing as a threat or punishment.

So apparently the mother was charged too..WTF is wrong with people?

[left is right]

3. Why would a healthy, normal 12 year-old ever need help with washing her hair?

Unless of course she is Rapunzel.
I don’t think any jury would buy that for even a moment.

I wouldn't want him doctoring any child of mine--and by mine, I mean any child that I have or may ever have any relationship with

[marble falls]

4. Why would a normal healthy 60 yr old man want to wash a12 yr old little girl's hair?

[pnwmom]

5. If he was going to lie, you'd think he'd have just said he didn't do it. The hair washing

excuse is ridiculous.

[marble falls]

6. He puts himself at the scene of the crime, doesn't he?

[Purveyor]

7. UPDATE: Former Pediatrician Convicted Of Waterboarding

GEORGETOWN, Del. (AP) -- A Delaware jury convicted a pediatrician Thursday of waterboarding his companion's daughter by holding the child's head under a faucet.

The jury deliberated for about six hours before returning its verdict against Melvin Morse, 60.

Morse was charged with three felonies, two for alleged waterboarding and one for alleged suffocation by hand. He was convicted of one felony - waterboarding in the bathtub - and five misdemeanors.

Morse did not show any immediate reaction after the verdict. He could face several years in prison. Sentencing was set for April 11.

Defense attorneys argued that "waterboarding" was a term jokingly used to describe hair washing that the girl did not like.

MORE...

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_DOCTORS_DAUGHTER_WATERBOARDING?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2014-02-13-17-46-29