In March 2023, all of Kristine Barnett's charges are dropped. Later that year, in October of 2022, Michael Barnett was found not guilty after a jury deliberating for two hours.
Official secrets cast trial#
His trial would instead only focus on neglect charges based on Natalia's disability.
However, in February 2022, a few months before Michael Barnett was set to go to trial, four of his charges regarding neglect of dependent were dismissed because the statue of limitations -the maximum amount of time after an event where legal proceedings can occurs -were running out. The case rested on whether Natalia was actually a child or not. In 2019, social services led an investigation to pursue legal action against the couple for neglect of a dependent. This meant that the family was able to rent her an apartment nearby, while they moved to Canada. In 2012, the family successfully received a court order to change Natalia's legal age from eight to 22 years old. The Barnett family claimed that Natalia was actually an adult pretending to be a child, alleging that she attempted to harm the family on multiple occasions, including trying to stab and poison them. But her adopted family quickly became suspicious that Natalia was much older than she appeared. In 2010, Indiana couple Michael and Kristine Barnett adopted Natalia, a 6-year-old orphaned Ukrainian girl with spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia - a rare congenital bone growth disorder that causes dwarfism. The Investigation Discovery docuseries follows Natalia and her adoptive parents. True crime is truly having its moment right now, and the newest edition to your must-see streaming roster, The Curious Case of Natalia Grace, is as intriguing as it is chilling. If you or someone you know is in need of help, please dial the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-80 or visit RAINN for more resources. Content warning: The following piece contains mentions of sexual assault, abuse, and trauma and may be triggering for some.
0 kommentar(er)
