Canadian Parents On Trial For Killing Toddler Son By Not Treating Meningitis

A Canadian couple faced a jury this week after being charged in the death of their 18-month-old son, Ezekiel, who died of meningitis in March of 2012.

David and Collet Stephan are being accused of failing to provide the ‘necessities of life’ while their son was sick with meningitis. While the couple have pleaded not guilty, the court still maintains that they waited too long to take Ezekiel to the doctor, instead relying on natural remedies. The couple run their own natural supplements company called Truehope Nutritional Support.

When Ezekiel started to get sick his mother Collet looked his symptoms up online and originally thought he might have croup. He was suffering from a runny nose, fever and some breathing troubles, with the symptoms continuing for several weeks. So she treated him with some natural home remedies, and apparently saw small improvements.

However, when the improvements to Ezekiel’s health stopped and he started getting worse she took him to a registered nurse, and a friend, who said it appeared the baby could have meningitis. Prosecutors argue that this is the time the couple should have taken the child to the doctor.

But they did not.

Instead they claimed that they treated Ezekiel with a number of home remedies designed to boost his immunity. According to the police these included maple syrup mixes with water, juice with frozen fruit, and a combination of garlic, ginger root and apple cider vinegar, among others. The couple also went to see a naturopathic doctor who, according to news reports, suggested a viral meningitis treatment, despite never actually examining the child.

It was shortly after this visit that Ezekiel became stiff and lethargic, according to police reports. The couple claimed that the natural meningitis treatments resulted in improvements, but then Ezekiel suddenly stopped breathing. His parents finally called an ambulance and he was rushed to hospital, but he died five days later.

The Vaccine Agenda

Collet and David Stephan maintain that they did nothing wrong in the care of their child, and that they loved him. In all honesty, it is not their love that is in dispute, with even the crown prosecutor Clayton Giles admitting that it was clear the Stephan’s loved their child:

“I’m not saying they killed him, abused him or ignored him””they loved him,” he said. “They didn’t take him to a doctor until it was too late””far too late.”

On their Facebook page (called Prayers for Ezekiel) the couple continue to be vocal about the case and their part in it, advocating their own innocence in the face of the “vaccine agenda”. They claim that the government is trying to force parents to vaccinate their children “through fear of criminal prosecution”. They’re also working to accept public donations for their court battle, although a number of their fundraising pages have been shut down, seemingly in protest against the legality of supporting parents on trial for causing the death of their own child.

The trial may continue until the end of March, with the outcome currently unclear. In any way, this case will certainly present an interesting precedent in the future.