CNN News Transcript November 15, 1998
Sunday Morning News
Church of Scientology Faces Criminal Charges
Aired November 15, 1998 - 9:51 a.m. ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: In Florida, the Church of Scientology faces charges of abuse and criminal neglect. It involved the 1995 death of a long-time church member.
As CNN's Susan Candiotti reports, the family of Lisa McPherson (ph) believes she'd be alive today had the church acted differently.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Nearly three years after Lisa McPherson's death, from what the medical examiner ruled was a blood clot, complicated by severe dehydration, criminal charges have been filed against the Church of Scientology in Clearwater, Florida.
Authorities accuse the church of abuse and neglect, and doing great bodily harm to McPherson, as well as practicing medicine without a license.
The 36-year-old woman died in December 1995 after nearly 20 bed ridden days at a church run Fort Harrison (ph) hotel in Clearwater.
During that time, investigators say, she went from about 150 to 108 pounds. Court papers described her as "delirious." A state investigator described church staffers administering prescription medicine to McPherson without a doctors examination.
According to an attorney for the medical examiner, these autopsy photos of McPherson's arms and hands also show unexplained insect bites.
Ted Dandar is an attorney representing McPherson's family.
TED DANDAR, ATTORNEY: They killed Lisa McPherson. She's dead. Her entire death was preventable. They chose to let her die, in following the dictates of scientology.
CANDIOTTI: Attorneys for the Church of Scientology claim the charges are politically motivated.
UNIDENTIFIED ATTORNEY: No one has been accused, or there are no indications in the affidavit that was filed that anyone intentionally hurt her, or harmed her or abused her.
CANDIOTTI: The church maintains McPherson was willingly in their care. She had been in a car accident and was seen walking down the street taking off her clothes. Court papers said she was allowed to check out of a hospital against medical advice.
Police interviews quote two scientology members, who said she came to them to get some rest. Eighteen days later, she died.
McPherson's final days -- a far cry from the healthy woman seen in this home video, taken about a year before she died. Family members say she had been planning on leaving the church after, 18 active years.
McPherson's parents are deceased. Her aunt welcomes the charges.
DELL LIEBREICH, AUNT: They killed her. They were the cause of her death. I'm just glad that they were charged, you know, criminally, because to me it's criminal what they did.
CANDIOTTI: But attorneys for the church say their caretakers were trying to help McPherson, and that no one could have predicted the embolism that killed her. While scientologists do accept medical treatment, they reject psychiatric care.
(on camera): If the Church of Scientology is found guilty, there is no possibility of jail time, because you cannot put a church behind bars.
Instead, legal fines or other penalties could be imposed. No matter how this case turns out, the family plans to follow through with its civil lawsuit, convinced that Lisa McPherson's death, could have been prevented.
Susan Candiotti, CNN, Miami.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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Mr. Teegeeack
More Information:
www.xenu.net
www.factnet.org
www.lermanet.com
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