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Boy testifies, says parents spanked adopted brother, sister more

Day 9 in the Skagit abuse and murder trial, as jurors heard a pair of adopted kids were struck every day.

That testimony came from Larry and Carri's Williams' own son.

Johnathan Williams, now 11, says family birthdays always included cards and cake but not for his adopted brother and sister.

"Hana and Immanuel would not get a birthday cake," said Johnathan.

But he says the pair would get spanked more than the other seven children in the house.

"How often would they get spanked?" asked prosecutor Rich Weyrich.

"Every day," said Johnathan.

Larry and Carri Williams say all of the kids in their conservative Christian home were spanked with a rod as discipline.

But Johnathan says Immanuel — who was 7 years old when he was adopted — was the only one hit with a belt.

The Ethiopian kids were also the only ones given wet sandwiches and frozen food. Hana was the only child to sleep in a closet.

"Mom would try to get her to go outside but she wouldn't, so mom just kept her in there for the whole day," said Johnathan.

His stay-at-home mom would then play a CD of Bible verses while Hana was locked in for hours.

"She was trying to get Hana's brain to think differently," said Johnathan.

When that didn't work, Johnathan says Hana was ordered to walk around the property's athletic court.

She later died face down in the mud from starvation and hypothermia after spending her last evening outside alone.
Johnathan says his mother never told the teen to come in.

"Hana was getting  cold, so mom told her to do jumping jacks," said Johnathan.

The Williamses could spend the rest of their lives in prison if convicted of manslaughter and assault.

Hana's uncle, who flew in from Ethiopia, is expected to testify Thursday.