Opinion ID: 612544
Heading Depth: 5
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Paternal Abuse and Neglect

Text: Some of the evidence about Gary's abuse is cumulative. For example, Gary stabbed the family's dog to death in front of the children. App'x Vol. 3 at 1223 (Jeremy Aff. ¶ 5). Evidence at the mitigation hearing showed that Gary was violent and abusive, however, and this is only one vivid example. Also, Foust points to his father's failure to provide heat, jackets, and food in 1986 when he and his brothers lived with their father. Gary Jr. also sometimes stole food stamps to sell for drugs. Trial evidence, however, showed that Foust's father spent money on alcohol while the family lacked basic needs. App'x Vol. 5 at 2075 (Karpawich Report). Despite adding some detail, these pieces of new evidence are not substantially different. However, Gary's neglect of Foust's physical injuries is newly documented in Jeremy's affidavit: When Kelly was 6 or 7 years old, he was ordered to get our father a cup of hot water. Kelly spilled the water on himself which gave him a serious burn to his shoulder. Kelly asked to go to the hospital but my father told him `Fuck you. Stand in the corner.' My brothers Gary Jr., Terrance[,] and myself came up with a plan to help Kelly. Gary Jr. distracted our father while Terrance and I grabbed pork chops out of the freezer and put them under Kelly's shirt to cool the burn. Id. at ¶ 6. In contrast, at the mitigation hearing, the prosecutor emphasized that the testimony showed no specific instances in which the defendant was ever abused by his father. App'x Vol. 7 at 2671 (Prosecutor's Closing Statement). The prosecutor said he could not recall hearing one single isolated incident where any particular physical abuse took place involving Kelly and his dad, and f[ou]nd that fact to be particularly interesting. Id. We conclude that the evidence of how Gary neglected Foust in physically injurious ways is not cumulative.