David Stephan and his wife Collet appeared in court in Alberta, Canada today regarding the death of their 18-month-old son Ezekiel from viral meningitis in 2012.
The couple pleaded not guilty to failing to provide the necessities of life for Ezekiel, who died in March 2012.
A social worker, Sheila Thompson told the courtroom that she was left under the impression that the parents were attentive of their child, providing him with as much nutrition and hydration as possible while they tried to figure out what was wrong with him.
Their nurse later advised the couple to bring their son to a doctor, according to the Lethbridge Herald.
According to CBC: “In the days leading up to his death, they had treated Ezekiel with a number of homeopathic remedies, including water with maple syrup, juice with frozen berries and finally a mixture of apple cider vinegar, horseradish root, hot peppers, mashed onion, garlic and ginger root as his condition deteriorated.”
A social worker who interviewed the couple as their son was on life support told the court that the Stephans said they would not hesitate to bring their other child to the doctor if he had taken a similar turn.
The case continues.
