Couple arrested in Stockton appear on trial in a tragic famine
VANCOUVER, Washington – The adoptive parents of a 15-year-old boy from Vancouver, Washington who died of starvation in November were given $ 1 million bail during a Clark County court hearing after they were extradited from San Joaquin County earlier this month had been.
Felicia L. Adams, 52, and Jesse C. Franks, 56, appeared in Superior Court Monday on Monday for domestic violence for second degree murder and homicide in the death of Karreon Franks, The Columbian reported.
More:Fugitive couple arrested in Stockton for starvation of adopted son
In response to the charges being read, Franks said, “I don’t know why I’m being charged with all of this.”
Assistant Attorney James Smith described the allegations as “extremely worrying” and said the evidence in the case was overwhelming. Smith said that if convicted, Adams and Franks could each face a minimum of 20 years’ imprisonment.
The couple were extradited from San Joaquin County, where they had been detained since June 4 under Clark County’s arrest warrants.
Both signed an extradition waiver in San Joaquin County earlier this month after being arrested after being surrendered to Stockton police.
On Monday, Vancouver attorney Jeff Sowder, who represents Adams, said the couple left Vancouver after a reporter answered their door and neighbors learned about the criminal case, which resulted in their home being destroyed.
Judge John Fairgrieve appointed absent attorney David Kurtz to represent Franks.
Adams legally adopted Karreon Franks and his two brothers in San Joaquin County in 2012. She is her aunt, as court records show.
Karreon reportedly had a rare genetic disorder that affected his development, had severe autism, and was blind according to court records.
On November 27, Adams and Franks took Karreon Franks to the PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center in Vancouver, where he was pronounced dead 14 minutes later.
The autopsy report found Karreon weighed 61 pounds and had abnormal bone and hair growth and lesions likely caused by starvation, the court records said.
A hospital nurse contacted child protection services when the teenager arrived. His brothers were removed from the couple’s care.
Investigators learned that Adams and Franks had together spent 2,238 hours gambling in a casino since 2017. Adams had a “lifetime loss” of $ 238,098 and Franks had a “lifetime loss” of $ 43,078, according to Cowlitz Tribal Law Enforcement records cited in the search warrant affidavit.
Casino surveillance cameras show Adams and Franks arrived at the casino just three hours after Karreon’s death, the affidavit said.
The Associated Press and The (Vancouver, Washington) Columbian contributed to this report.