JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri Supreme Court judges appear skeptical about an appeal from a Springfield man convicted of abusing his 13-year-old son by limiting food and locking him in a church bathroom.
Judges heard arguments Wednesday from an attorney for Peter Hansen, who argued that there was insufficient evidence to show he knowingly inflicted cruel and inhumane punishment.
Hansen and his family were living at a Seventh Day Adventist church in 2009 when child abuse investigators responded to a hotline call. His attorney argued in court filings that the child’s limited diet stemmed in part from religious beliefs.
But judges said during questioning that denying food to children goes beyond merely limiting the types of food they eat.
The judges had no probing questions for a state’s attorney defending the convictions.