Teen Tells Jury He Watched Parents Abuse Adopted Siblings in Morris County

The teen boy who allegedly watched his parents abuse adopted siblings took the stand Tuesday for a second time to tell a jury of the atrocities he witnessed.

Those parents, Army Major John Jackson and his wife, Carolyn, are back on trial for a second time after a 17-count indictment that charged the couple with abuse of three adopted children during a five-year period, some of which occurred while the family lived at Picatinny Arsenal in Morris County.

The biological son, now 16, told the court Tuesday he was scared to open up to a family member about the abuse in 2010, but also felt it was his job to do so, according to nj.com.

The Jacksons’ first trial in the fall of 2014 was deemed a mistrial after a prosecutor mistakenly mentioned a piece of information that was deemed inadmissible during pre-trial hearings.

The teen, as he did last year, told the jury Tuesday his parents cited Biblical verses to justify the harsh disciplinary tactics used on three adopted children, the report said.

The indictment included 14 counts of endangering the welfare of a child and three counts of assault. Both John and Carolyn Jackson faces up to 10 years in prison for each count, in addition to a maximum $250,000 fine on each count.

United States Attorney General Paul Fishman said the adopted children – one of which is now deceased – were physically abused with object and forced to drink water from the toilet. Other allegations were that the children were force fed hot pepper flakes, hot sauce, and raw onion. One child was forced to ingest excessive sodium substances while being deprived of water, leading to a life-threatening condition, Fishman charged.

All of the Jacksons children were taken from their custody in 2010.

Subscribe to a free email newsletter and breaking news alerts by clicking on the Patch town name:
Long Valley • Mendham-Chester • Morristown • Parsippany • Hackettstown • Morris Township • Jefferson • Hopatcong-Sparta • East Hanover-Florham Park • Madison • Chatham • Montville • Tri-Boro