A prosecutor revealed in a California courtroom that an 11-year-old girl from San Diego who died after allegedly being starved and tortured by her adoptive mother and grandparents was so emaciated that the child's bones protruded from her skin.
Horrifying new details about the death of Arabella McCormack were revealed on Tuesday, November 29, at a bail hearing at El Cajon Superior Court for 49-year-old Leticia McCormack and her 70-year-old mother, Adella Tom, the New York Post reported.
McCormack, an ordained elder at a local megachurch, was charged last month with torture, willful cruelty to a child, and murder in the death of the 11-year-old girl. Torture and cruelty charges were slapped on Tom.
Victim's grandfather also charged with murder
According to the San Diego Union Tribune, McCormack's 75-year-old father, Stanley Tom, was also charged with murder, willful cruelty, and torture. He previously waived, however, his right to revisit his no-bail status.
The paper said that the Toms have served as volunteers with the San Diego Police Department since 2015. Deputy District Attorney Meredith Pro said on Tuesday that they could imagine no scenario where individuals facing charges like this and against outrageous evil actions such as this are not considered a danger to the public.
Judge Kathleen Lewis ordered both McCormack and her mom to remain locked up without bail after hearing about the crime's horrific nature. The judge said the suspects were a danger to the public.
According to Pro, Arabella weighed just 48 pounds when she died in August. That weight was less than what she weighed when she was just five years old. Pro said the girl was so skinny that her bones protruded from her skin, bringing audible gasps in the courtroom.
Officials said that McCormack, who volunteered as an administrator and ordained elder at the Rock Church, and her parents allegedly tortured and abused Arabella and her two younger sisters for about five and a half years.
Arabella had at least 15 separate bone fractures when found
The suspects deprived the kids during that period of food and water. They also beat the children with paddles and sticks. They also isolated the young girls in their rooms, denying them access to bathrooms and forcing them to engage in rigorous exercises.
Pro said that Arabella was covered in bruises when found. She also had at least 15 separate bone fractures. Her two younger sisters managed to survive the nightmare but were hospitalized for three weeks.
McCormack's attorney, Gregory Garrison, asked the judge to set her bail at $1 million, while Tom's attorney, Randy Wagner, asked for her bail to be set at $100,000. Garrison said that Ms. McCormack has no prior arrests and no prior convictions, and there is no evidence to support an argument that his client poses a danger to the public, NBC San Diego reported.
