An Oregon couple whose son died when they chose prayer rather than medical treatment was found guilty of criminally negligent homicide Tuesday after a Clackamas County jury deliberated for two days. Jeff and Marci Beagley's 16-year-old son Neil died in June 2008 of complications stemming from a urinary tract blockage.
The Beagleys' church, the Followers of Christ, is not a stranger to controversy. More than a decade ago, Oregon City officials claimed to have discovered an unusually large number of child deaths in families belonging to the church. This led to a 1999 law limiting the use of religious defenses in criminal negligence cases. This case is seen as the second major test of that law.
