Florida Mom Accused of Locking Teen Son in 8×8 Field Pleads Responsible, Lawyer Insists She’s ‘Not a Monster’

On Monday, 48-year-old Ferriter pleaded responsible to felony prices of aggravated baby abuse, false imprisonment and baby neglect. In change for her plea, she’ll serve 10 years probation and a yr of home arrest, in line with WPTV.

After the listening to, Ferriter spoke with the press — the place she was requested whether or not she had any regrets for the way she handled her son. Whereas the video is unavailable to embed, it may be watched on YouTube by clicking the hyperlink above.

“We had been dwelling a life that isn’t what’s portrayed within the media. There was a number of issues that no person knew. We had been a very loving household. I really like my children. We simply tried to do one of the best that we might with what we had,” she mentioned.

When requested how she was feeling now, she added, “It is robust as a result of I am doing this as a result of I need my children to not be a part of this trial, have their names everywhere in the media and so they can transfer on.”

“However I know how our household actually was, I do know the reality and what we had been making an attempt to do. We cherished all of our kids and we had been making an attempt to cope with one thing there is no remedy for,” she continued. “It is a onerous street and there is not assist for this situation. There’s not assist that may assist mother and father work via it.”

The attorneys by her aspect claimed the teenager was recognized with RAD, or Reactive Attachment Dysfunction, which they mentioned left him with an absence of a “ethical compass” following “abuse he suffered at an orphanage.”

“Tracy was making an attempt to guard her household, defend her kids, she was making an attempt to guard herself,” mentioned one lawyer, whereas one other claimed one other one among her children was ready to testify to corroborate “the day by day concern and violence that this household was put via and needed to cope with.”

“Tracy’s not a monster. This can be a human being who’s extraordinarily educated, loving, adopted kids out of the goodness of her coronary heart. The media actually bought it mistaken,” added her lawyer. “Sadly, we do not learn about kids with RAD, Reactive Attachment Dysfunction and hopefully this brings some gentle to it. It is horrible.”

As for why she accepted a responsible plea, her lawyer mentioned it was to spare her kids going via a trial. “She wished it to be resolved,” mentioned her legal professional, “Despite the fact that she had an excellent likelihood of being exonerated, she actually wished to place this to relaxation.”

The plea comes after her husband, Timothy Ferriter, did go to trial and was discovered responsible of 1 rely every of aggravated baby abuse, false imprisonment, and neglect of a kid final yr.

Throughout his trial, Palm Seaside County jurors listened to seven days of testimony, in line with native ABC affiliate WPBF, together with hours of video footage from a Ring digital camera that exposed the within of the small construction, through which the boy solely had a bucket for a bathroom.

As WPBF beforehand reported, the footage confirmed Tim cursing on the teen and throwing issues across the room. He additionally reportedly threatened to maintain the boy within the field far more sooner or later if he continued to behave out at school.

The field contained in the storage of Ferriter’s Florida residence was first found after the teenager ran away in January 2022. Police had already been alerted in regards to the room by contractors who constructed it; as soon as authorities discovered the boy, he allegedly instructed cops it was the place he was confined for wherever as much as 16-18 hours.

In accordance with proof offered in the course of the trial, per Legislation&Crime, the teenager was beforehand locked in an identical construction within the household’s former Arizona residence, beginning when he was 11. The boy allegedly had no different bed room in both residence.

The Ferriters had been arrested in Jupiter, Florida, in February 2022.

Throughout Tim’s trial, their adopted son testified in court docket in regards to the circumstances contained in the 8×8 construction through which he was saved. The boy, who has not been named and was 14 on the time of his mother and father’ arrests in 2022, took the stand within the case towards his father. Whereas he described the mistreatment as “dehumanizing,” he additionally mentioned he believed his mother and father made a “mistake” and others ought to “forgive them and transfer on.”

He testified the windowless 8×8 room was constructed contained in the storage. The construction had a twin mattress on a concrete ground, no home windows, and each an air conditioner and lights he could not management, he mentioned. The boy claimed he was generally saved in complete darkness, with locks on the skin stopping him from leaving on his personal.

“It had a bucket for my urine and feces and that was it,” he added, saying the room would generally scent “putrid.” He additionally claimed he “obtained water often however not regularly.”

When requested by prosecutors how being within the room made him really feel, he mentioned, “To me, being locked in a room, it is dehumanizing. It is virtually as dangerous as genocide. It is saddening, to abuse a toddler that was simply performing like a toddler.” He additionally mentioned he can be “put into the room by bodily power” if he resisted … and claimed his father as soon as “smacked” him within the face and would “spank” him with a soar rope or belt, whereas yelling.

In the course of the trial, the protection mentioned Tim and his spouse needed to make “robust selections” about their son as a result of his behavioral points. In accordance with WPTV, Dr. Shiela Rapa, a witness for the protection, testified that the teenager suffers from “reactive attachment dysfunction” — a situation through which a toddler would not kind a wholesome emotional bond with their mother and father or guardians.

Tim’s protection legal professional, Prya Murad, argued that Tim’s habits was merely a case of “dangerous parenting,” however did not rise to the extent of prison, saying that the room was used for “monitoring” the kid.

He was sentenced to 5 years in jail in November.