Louisiana couple sentenced for abusing caged autistic woman

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press


By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW ORLEANS — Oct 31, 2019, 5:36 PM ET

A husband and wife in Louisiana have each been sentenced to 28 years in federal prison for horrific abuses of a young autistic woman who at times was forced to live in an outdoor cage.

The sentences for Terry Knope II and Raylaine Knope had been expected since their guilty pleas to federal charges in May. They had received similar state court sentences in Tangipahoa Parish.

That's where authorities discovered that the 22-year-old woman had suffered abuses including being shot with a BB gun and forced to eat the cremation ashes of her dead mother.

The woman gave victim impact statements at the Knopes' hearings.

Read more: https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/louisiana-couple-sentenced-abusing-caged-autistic-woman-66675232

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[mr_lebowski]

1. WHAT THE EVERLOVING FUCK?

Why did they have custody of the woman to begin with?

How incredibly disturbing. Didn't read story ... probably were collecting her government checks as well I'd guess?

[canetoad]

2. They were

https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/crime_police/article_f1a5395a-9122-11e8-b819-33860076b559.html

Investigators said the abuse started after the death of D.P.'s mother, when the 22-year-old had moved to a mobile home at 57509 Rushing Lane in August of 2015. D.P. is related to Raylaine Knope, according to court records.

Terry Knope became the payee for D.P.'s Supplemental Security Income payments, which she received because of her disabilities. Before his arrest, he had received $8,796 in SSI payments that he was supposed to use exclusively for D.P.'s living expenses. Prosecutors allege he kept the money for himself.

The family initially allowed D.P. to sleep on a mattress on the floor of the home, but then moved her to a shed or outdoor tent, which Taylor Knope and Jody Lambert locked every night, prosecutors said. In the spring of 2016, the family then built a cage out of chicken wire and a plastic tarp, forcing her to live there.

They kept her there "to maintain control over her and to prevent her from escaping" while they forced her to do house and yard work, prosecutors allege.

[Javaman]

5. holy crap! this is so fucked up...

get a load of this...

"They also forced her to eat dog feces on bread, simulate sex acts with a jalapeno pepper and remove her clothing to make sexual advances towards men, prosecutors said in the documents. Some of the family members forced D.P. to ingest methamphetamine and prescription painkillers, then threatened to turn her in to police for using them if she didn't obey them."

there were also 3 adult children that were also charged and 4 minors that went off the CPS.

this was one truly fucked up group of monsters.

[JesterCS]

14. Jesus Christ.......the whole family is evil-incarnate n/t

[secondwind]

3. MY GOD! What a horror story! that poor woman.........

[jimmil]

4. They don't deserve to live on my planet...... N/T

[iluvtennis]

6. Evil a-holes. Hope the keys to their cells are lost. nt

[irisblue]

8. Hey MIRT!!

[irisblue]

9. Thank you

[chowder66]

10. That was bizarre! nt

[irisblue]

11. An under a bridge dweller. MIRT was quick on that one

[Tiggeroshii]

12. Knope

Don't wanna see your faces ever again in the light of day, that's for sure. Knope, not at all.

[JesterCS]

13. They sure do look like real "winners"

It amazes me what some people will do to other people/animals/children. If I was their neighbor and witnessed what they did, I'd be hard-pressed to NOT beat the shit out of them

[Polybius]

15. How did authorities find out?

Did she escape, or did someone find her? The link isn't working for me, it goes crazy when I try to scroll.