Randal And Christine Arnold Charged After 6yo Found Starved, Beaten, Deprived

[Dakota Valkyrie]

http://i0.simplest-image-hosting.net/168bf183b2abe8bc9188aacc163dd507/-dd-1288.jpg
Officials say two parents will appear in court on Thursday for allegedly beating their adoptive son and starving him to the point that the 6-year-old only weighed 30 pounds.

An affidavit released by the Jefferson County District Attorney's Office says on Sept. 17, Littleton firefighters responded to the family's home at 6500 block of South Reed Way on a report of a young child who fell down the stairs and was unresponsive.

Investigators say Christine Arnold reported she was cooking dinner when the boy fell.

An EMT examining the boy observed bruises and abrasions all over his body, according to the affidavit.

The affidavit says the medical staff at Littleton Hospital Emergency Room determined the boy had blood on his brain and his brain was swelling.

A doctor at the hospital says the boy suffered from "serious bodily injury" and "severe malnutrition." The boy also suffered from various straight line, u-shaped and horseshoe type markings across his body consistent with the buckle of a belt found at the house, according to the affidavit.

The affidavit reports the Arnolds took custody of the boy on a foster-to-adopt program when he was two and a half years old. That adoption was completed in 2006, according to the affidavit.

According to Jefferson County Social Services, the boy was examined prior to his adoption and was measured and weighed. In 2006, the boy was in the fifty to seventy five percentiles for his height and weight. At age 3, he weighed 31 pounds. On September 17, 2010, the boy weighed 30 pounds at the age of 6, according to the affidavit.
[...]
http://www.9news.com/news/article.aspx?storyid=155598&provider=top&catid=188

The boy's father, Randal Arnold, said he didn't see any injuries on his son prior to seeing him in the hospital the day paramedics were called to the house.

Investigators said Randal Arnold's statement was at odds with a phone call he made to Columbine Hills Elementary School the day before, telling the school that his son had fallen out of bed and had "banged his head."

"Both parents reported that (the boy) was a difficult child and had a history of injuring himself," the affidavit stated. Randal called his son an "abnormal child."

Both parents told investigators that they never hurt the boy or struck him, according to the affidavit. They also said he was a difficult child and stole food from other children at school.

The parents told investigators that the boy stole food from other children at school and that they had to lock their son in his room at night because he would steal food from the kitchen at night, the affidavit said.
[...]

The hospital said the boy gained 5 pounds in five days while he was at the hospital.

During a subsequent interview, the boy told a forensic interviewer that he didn't have any toys except for the ones that were in the basement and he had to ask to play with them. The boy said he ate breakfast and dinner in the kitchen alone and that his parents ate at a different time.

Investigators examined the boy's room and described it as "relatively sparse," containing a bed with a top and bottom sheet, no blanket and no pillow, two dressers and some pictures on the wall. There was a sliding chain lock on the outside of the door to the boy's room, according to the affidavit.
http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/25216652/detail.html

[DamagedGoods]

He's an abnormal child because he has asswads for parents... How do you justify locking your child away because he steals food when he weighs less than he did as a toddler? Do they really truly believe that they are the normal ones and the kid is the weirdo?

Jeebus...

[cubby]

Awwww, come to my house little boy, I promise you can eat all you want, then have some cake, sometimes we just have cake. It hurts me more than anything to hear of children starved...it's just so calculated and deliberate, unlike rage or anger or losing control (not that that is an excuse to hurt a child).

[TKaz]

"The boy said he ate breakfast and dinner in the kitchen alone and that his parents ate at a different time."

I don't know why but that was just heartbreaking to me. You adopt to create a family, families enjoy meals together and talk to one another. This just was sad.

With our schedules & extra curricular stuff my daughter eats alone twice a week, I try & make sure I'm in same room with her while she eats, we talk. If I have to run off to help my son or whatever, I go back. Meaning, I feel guilty if she's eating alone! ::SIGH::

[Bohring]

Brother and sister?

[62julietandvoid]

Brother and sister?

Heh, they DO look alike. Didn't notice that.

[Obsolete]

"The boy said he ate breakfast and dinner in the kitchen alone and that his parents ate at a different time."

I don't know why but that was just heartbreaking to me. You adopt to create a family, families enjoy meals together and talk to one another. This just was sad.

With our schedules & extra curricular stuff my daughter eats alone twice a week, I try & make sure I'm in same room with her while she eats, we talk. If I have to run off to help my son or whatever, I go back. Meaning, I feel guilty if she's eating alone! ::SIGH::


That was the part that got to me too...

[Silvahalo]

"Both parents reported that (the boy) was a difficult child and had a history of injuring himself," the affidavit stated. Randal called his son an "abnormal child."

Both parents told investigators that they never hurt the boy or struck him, according to the affidavit. They also said he was a difficult child and stole food from other children at school.It's always the same with these adoptive starvation cases. He's a difficult child, he injures himself, they never hurt the child and the perplexing one, he stole food.....lord almighty, he was starving what did they expect? this poor child was brought into their home a promise for a better life. He gets this hell, this shit. Even IF he is difficult and I wouldn't blame him given his circumstances, this child is the child. It's their duty as the adults as the new parents to do all things necessary to help him cope and adapt. Instead they beat and starve him. I'd love a moment with these two fucks.

Heartbreaking, absolutely horridly wrong. I hope this sweet child is put in a loving home and leads a fulfilling happy life.

[Jessiesgirl1108]

I'll never understand the people who adopt a child just to abuse them???

And I'm sorry, but unless the kid has Prader–Willi Syndrome then there is probably a reason that he is stealing food from kids at school and at home in the middle of the night. That reason being that these assholes were starving the poor boy. If my child is that hungry in the middle of the night then I would get up and make him whatever he wanted.

[thehesbomb]

Motherfucker. Little guy who will be 3 in November weighs 34 pounds. I cannot come to grips with a 6 year old that underweight.

It makes me see red...I'd like to spray THEIR red all over some nice white walls.

[TKaz]

I'll never understand the people who adopt a child just to abuse them???


Personally, I think people decide to adopt thinking everything will be merry and rosy. Kids are NOT merry & rosy, they're WORK. It pays off & they're wonderful but you must work at it every second.
So...I think preconceived notions of parental bliss are the start of these adoptive abuse cases. ALSO...if the child was traumatized in anyway before coming into the home...uhhh, no kidding he's difficult! Emotions & behavior he doesn't understand himself!

Adoptive parents need to be aware that the child they adopt might have been a drug baby, have FAS, history of sexual/pysical abuse or maybe they never bonded to a parental figure ... in those cases therapy of some sort would needed from the beginning. To think otherwise makes those parents ignorant and naive.

[cubby]

And they're damned sure gonna act out if they are hungry!!!!

It is inexcusable to starve a child, the only reason to even keep food inaccessable is to keep them from hurting themselves like with Prater-Willi syndrome. I can't think of any punishment that should involve food. There is just no excuse to keep a child hungry.

[misssmartypants]

This is bullshit. I work for the refridgerator in my house. Constantly have to fill it. And falling downstairs? A 6 year old? All the time? Man,did they think they could get away with this tired story? I'd have to agree with everyone here that the kid needed someone better. I have to wonder though if maybe the underlining factor was the benefits you recieve through foster to adoption? Am I wrong? Let me know. Also, this just really fucks it for the people who are putting their hearts out in adopting these children.. And no toys. No goddamn toys. Plenty of us here had no toys because of shit parents, but we made up for it in spades as grown ups. That was this kids life.. no food, no toys, loneliness, abuse, ahhh.. good going assholes.

[ineedanap]

Shit, we don't have family dinners every night, hubby works late most days. But the 4 yo never eats alone, I am there and chatting with her. FFS, these are children we are talking about, what has gone wrong in the adoption screening process, here?

[Silkprints]

It also states that he was in school ? Noone there noticed this kids ribs sticking out ? aren't there weight charts ? don't you need a physical still to start school ? he's half the min. weight and the stealing food from other kids in class and the school couldn't get the right number ? so many people dropped the ball on this poor little boy .

[Jessiesgirl1108]

It also states that he was in school ? Noone there noticed this kids ribs sticking out ? aren't there weight charts ? don't you need a physical still to start school ? he's half the min. weight and the stealing food from other kids in class and the school couldn't get the right number ? so many people dropped the ball on this poor little boy .

To be honest the weight of the child wouldn't really be such an indicator as much as the child trying to steal food would be. I have a soon to be 6 year old who only weighs about 35 pounds. And no, I do not starve him...if anything I to have to force him to eat, not physically but with bribes of dessert if he finishes his dinner. But I can tell you that my son gets sent to school with a morning snack and an over flowing lunch box. And it's not that he's a picky eater, he just doesn't eat much. But then again both his father and I were small children, and my pediatrician just told me to not worry about it, so I try not to. But then I read stories like this and think "damn this poor starved boy weighs as much as my son' and I start to stress about it...but I don't know what else to do other then starting an IV and feeding him that way!
http://i51.tinypic.com/e5mc1v.jpg
See he doesn't look like he's starved! My youngest is the same way, just tiny boys.

[Obsolete]

Jessiesgirl, your babies look healthy and happy. I think height has a lot to do with it...my daughter and my niece are the same age and weigh the same but my niece looks sickly because she is taller than my daughter. It's possible the boy in this story was much taller than your son therefore it wouldn't be healthy for him to weigh the amount he did.

[Jessiesgirl1108]

Jessiesgirl, you're babies look healthy and happy. I think height has a lot to do with it...my daughter and my niece are the same age and weigh the same but my niece looks sickly because she is taller than my daughter. It's possible the boy in this story was much taller than your son therefore it wouldn't be healthy for him to weigh the amount he did.

That's true...both my boys are kind of short also. One positive is that I don't have to buy clothes too often, they take forever to grow into a bigger size! lol

[Silkprints]

Aww your kids are so cute

[Jessiesgirl1108]

Aww your kids are so cute

Thank you...problem is they know it! Try to discipline them and they start batting those long eye lashes and I forget what they were getting in trouble for! It's hard to be firm when all you want to do is give them kisses and hugs!

[misssmartypants]

My son was tiny little guy. His bum was so small it fit across my hand until he was 7. Now he is a 6 ft monster. Usually mistaken for my boyfriend. (gross). But his tinyness when little was just who he was at the time (he would only eat chicken anyways). Your little guys are healthy and happy. You take them to a Dr. You and your honey cherish them. Those people did none of this. They hurt that boy, and deprived him of basic needs for being human. And for the other moms , dont feel bad about not eating dinner together every night. Who does that all the time? We dont isolate our kids at supper, theres all kinds of action going on around them. We are there for them. And they know this.

[silverfae]

I always feel bad on these stories too because my 2 year old is 3' tall and weighs in at 25 lbs - and I know many 1 year olds that weigh more. She needs 3T pants for length but they fall down on her because she's so skinny. The difference is, my kid is a bottomless pit for food. She needs to eat at least every 2 hours, and she eats a ton. She actually takes in more calories than I do in a day - it's not fair =P My doctor says not to worry about it too, my husband graduates highschool at 6'4" and 120 lbs, so it's just genetic - but it's hard not to. I don't understand why anyone would ever ever deny their child healthy foods if they were hungry. And I also don't get the whole adopt em' and abuse 'em mentality. How can people like that even make it through the adoption process? And as far as thinking everything would be rosy....they fostered the kid first. If they had problems then that they felt were overwhelming, they should have used their good judgment and not adopted the poor kid.

[Silvahalo]

To be honest the weight of the child wouldn't really be such an indicator as much as the child trying to steal food would be. I have a soon to be 6 year old who only weighs about 35 pounds. And no, I do not starve him...if anything I to have to force him to eat, not physically but with bribes of dessert if he finishes his dinner. But I can tell you that my son gets sent to school with a morning snack and an over flowing lunch box. And it's not that he's a picky eater, he just doesn't eat much. But then again both his father and I were small children, and my pediatrician just told me to not worry about it, so I try not to. But then I read stories like this and think "damn this poor starved boy weighs as much as my son' and I start to stress about it...but I don't know what else to do other then starting an IV and feeding him that way!
http://i51.tinypic.com/e5mc1v.jpg
See he doesn't look like he's starved! My youngest is the same way, just tiny boys.

My boys (http://i510.photobucket.com/albums/s341/silvahalo68/myboys/ef4b9d9a.jpg) are very little too, 6 you almost 7 yo, 42lbs....(wow your kiddo is smaller!), and my 3 yo 27.5. The little one is such a picky eater. but I assure you I feed them all the time! anyhow, still a child that is smallish is one thing but a child malnourished looks different than that. Jutting bones, gaunt face, circles under his eyes, the hair is usually a sign too....lumps gone or falling out. Its disgusting the very thought withholding food from a child.

btw, my son would LOVE the dino costume!...your boys are adorable!

[Lizard]

Be forewarned: typical critical and bitchy Lizard post forthcoming.

I do appreciate the posts from parents who give those of us who are not parents perspective on how "healthy weight" varies from child to child. But let me be honest--it pisses me off when the discussion goes on so long that the actual horror of the case is forgotten.

This child was adopted, and his adoptive parents essentially fucked him over. Can any of you tell me if he will ever be okay? I mean, I sure as fuck hope he will, but based on what's been reported that he's gone through (like knowing "I'm adopted" isn't a big enough of a mindfuck), his weight at the time he was removed from the home is not the biggest problem he's facing.

[Silvahalo]

Be forewarned: typical critical and bitchy Lizard post forthcoming.

I do appreciate the posts from parents who give those of us who are not parents perspective on how "healthy weight" varies from child to child. But let me be honest--it pisses me off when the discussion goes on so long that the actual horror of the case is forgotten.

This child was adopted, and his adoptive parents essentially fucked him over. Can any of you tell me if he will ever be okay? I mean, I sure as fuck hope he will, but based on what's been reported that he's gone through (like knowing "I'm adopted" isn't a big enough of a mindfuck), his weight at the time he was removed from the home is not the biggest problem he's facing.

I'm a big fan on staying on topic, but every now and then the horror we read, well, we just need a freakn reprieve; hence the tangent. Posting on stories like this takes a toll. I think we realize his weight was not the biggest problem but it does blow my mind that not a damn soul noticed he was starving, wasting away.

IMPO, this child will never fully recover. Physically likely, but then there are things none of us see that have changed him permanently. I hope he gets a better chance at life outside of that hell hole.

[Dakota Valkyrie]

I'm a big fan on staying on topic, but every now and then the horror we read, well, we just need a freakn reprieve; hence the tangent. Posting on stories like this takes a toll.
There's a button with and X in it in the corner of the window. This IS a horror site. It's not about staying on topic so much as what is appropriate to be posting on a public true crime horror site.

http://www.dreamindemon.com/wp-content/themes/DD-Red-104/images/DDHeaderc.jpg

Please don't take that wrong. Think of it more along this line: You are watching a movie and right in the middle of it the director puts in a slide show of his recent home renovation or kids school recital. WTF? While we may think we are all friends and such here, there are over 800 active members to the site and many many more guests that read without joining.

As I was driving one afternoon, the radio was playing Godsmack's "Voodoo" and a there is a lyric in there with the words "demons dreaming". That got me to thinking that our site would basically be all the material a demon would find cool. Our nightmares, his sweet dreams. So, the site material is supposed to be individual dreams from a sleeping demon having kickass dreams. Hence, the dreamin' demon.

[silverfae]

I think it is on topic. I think people obviously feel horror for the poor kids that endure this, but it's also scary to read the things that often get posted as "sure signs of neglect" in the newspapers that we all deal with daily. I can't tell you how many times this summer I read about how abusive people were for not having A/C in their houses - I don't have A/C and it scares me to think that someone might consider me negligent for that. In this case, the weight issue made sense because they added that the boy weighed 31lbs at age 3 - in many of these stories, they just say "the child weighed [some weight that is in the low end of normal]" and pass that off as obvious neglect - so there are times when those of us with skinny kids see these stories and it makes us uncomfortable. There obviously were much worse things that happened to this kid and all the others, but it's often the things that we can relate to that strike a chord in us and make us want to discuss it.

So I don't understand how the way a story personally affects us is off topic unless our input to the discussion shouldn't include anything that doesn't include how we should dispose of the monsters involved, or how awful it must be for the kids. If that's the case, it wouldn't make for terribly interesting discussions.

[Dakota Valkyrie]

Seriously??

You do realize that this is a TRUE CRIME HORROR web site and not at victim's advocacy site and not a parenting site and not a crime solving site??? If that is what you are looking for, there are ton's of them on the 'net. Some of that happens here but it is by accident, not design.

I ferl sorry and compassion for every victim featured here but most members arevhere to experience the purpose of the site - the horror of it all.

THINK OF THIS:

Perverts visit this site to fulfill their deviant jollies. People have just given them personal info and pictures of their precious ones. That is SICK but TRUE! Personal info that could give perverts an "in" to children... "HEy! I remember when you dressed as Mario" is a statement that makes a kid think they know you.

And whether you like it or not, most people DO NOT care. Any intelligent person does not need multitudes of tales of childhood weight or cutesy wutesy pictures to understand there are variations in kids development or weights or whatever.

The vast majority of readers do not need more than the article's statement of "At age 3, he weighed 31 pounds. On September 17, 2010, the boy weighed 30 pounds at the age of 6" to understand the horror.

[nopatience]

Both parents told investigators that they never hurt the boy or struck him, according to the affidavit. They also said he was a difficult child and stole food from other children at school.


It always tears me up to hear about a child who is so hungry that they feel the need to steal food from other children. There is NO excuse for a child to go hungry if there is enough food in the house to feed the adults. KIDS should be fed FIRST, adults last, IMO. Adoption is huge to a child waiting for a real family. To end up with these kind of fucking people is disgusting. It's bad enough to wait for someone to want him enough to give him a home only to find out they really didn't love him at all. I fucking HATE these people!!!!:argh:

[thehesbomb]

Fuck the "defense" cocksuckers who try to justify the treatment this little guy endured. I don't care if he was carrying a fucking switchblade, you don't starve and abuse a KID.


GOLDEN — The 7-year-old boy at the center of the felony child abuse trial of his adoptive parents couldn't recall details such as how much time passed between his tumble down the stairs and when he became unresponsive the evening Sept. 17, 2010.

What he remembered during testimony today were details that would be highlights to a young child — the helicopter ride to the hospital, the TV in his recovery room — and an allegation that could prove damning for his adoptive mother.

He said Christine Arnold pushed him down that flight of stairs.

"I went to the hospital. I had a bad, bad, bad headache from falling down the stairs," the child testified. "She pushed me... It did not happen the same day as the hospital."

Prosecutors say a stressed Christine Arnold regularly beat the boy with a belt and did not give him enough to eat. Her husband Randall Arnold did not stop the abuse, authorities allege.

The couple's defense attorneys say the boy had serious and at times self-injurious behavior problems that account for the bruises and marks authorities found on his body after Christine Arnold called 9-1-1 in 2010.

The soft-spoken boy testified through closed circuit television from Judge Lilly Oeffler's chambers. Smiling and wearing a suit, he appeared healthy and cooperative as he struggled to recall events that happened as many as three years ago.

He talked about punishments allegedly meted out by the Arnolds: standing in time outs with his arms raised over his head, being forced to take cold showers, being spanked with a belt that left marks on his chest, shoulder and back.

The Arnolds installed a lock on the outside of his bedroom door that they used at night and during nap times, he said.

"One night I got out of my room because I was hungry. I was sneaking to the kitchen to try to find something to eat," said the boy, adding he got caught. "The next day, they put (the lock) on."

Prosecutors allege the boy — who weighed 30 pounds at age 6 — was suffering from malnutrition.

But he testified Wednesday that he remembers eating microwave dinners at the Arnolds, including chicken nuggets and spaghetti.

He also told defense attorneys that he is better behaved now than he used to be.

The defense has promised to show that the child has a history of rages that include hitting himself with a wooden spoon, throwing himself onto the floor and into furniture.



http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_20375365/7-year-old-boy-testifies-against-his-parents

[AngelFire]

One night I got out of my room because I was hungry. I was sneaking to the kitchen to try to find something to eat," said the boy, adding he got caught. "The next day, they put (the lock) on."


I hope that you never have to experience having locks on anything but the door to your new and loving home. Fucking animals.

[Dakota Valkyrie]

The adoptive parents of a 6-year-old boy who weighed just 30 pounds was found guilty Wednesday with several counts of child abuse.

Randal and Christine Arnold could face a minimum of 10 to 32 years in prison when they are sentenced in June.

They were arrested on suspicion of child abuse causing serious bodily injury and cruelty toward a child knowingly or recklessly causing injury.
[...]
http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/30923603/detail.html

[Tundratot]

But he testified Wednesday that he remembers eating microwave dinners at the Arnolds, including chicken nuggets and spaghetti.

He also told defense attorneys that he is better behaved now than he used to be.


Uh-huh. Well, we know they fed him sometimes. Alone, in the kitchen. I bet he thinks he's better behaved because he's living with someone who tells him he's a good boy. Not with shitheads who only tell him he's bad. I bet he also has shown no signs of being self-injuring.