15-year-old Madison girl tells story about being starved for several years

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A 15-year-old Madison girl told police she “just had it” after being starved by her father and step-mother for several years. And the girl cried while telling officers she never wanted to go back to a house where she was confined in the basement for several years, forced to eat scraps because she was never fed. A two-hour video of the girl’s police interview was supposed to be played in court yesterday, so she didn’t have to testify directly at a preliminary hearing on felony charges against the parents. But both sides asked Dane County Circuit Judge Amy Smith to seal the video, since the judge had already seen it. Reporters objected. And at a hearing yesterday afternoon, Judge Smith ordered the video to be released. She said the girl’s testimony would have had to be public had she appeared directly. Meanwhile, the preliminary hearing for the parents was delayed until Friday, because a key prosecution witness couldn’t be there yesterday due to a personal matter. The father and step-mother are both charged with reckless endangerment, child abuse, and child neglect. That was after the girl escaped from the house last month in just her pajamas, and a passer-by called police. Neighbors said they alerted Dane County officials several times, and the state is investigating that part of the case.

Tags: crime and courts, news, crime, courts, wisconsin