At the Dane County courthouse in Madison, trial is underway in a highly-publicized case of a severely malnourished 15 year-old girl. Chad Chritton is the girl’s father, accused of keeping his emaciated daughter confined in a basement. A year ago, on a cold February day, she was wandering her neighborhood on Madison’s southeast side, barefoot and just wearing pajamas. Motorist Michael Vega came to her aid and called for help. The girl weighed only 68 pounds and told a horrific tale of abuse at her home.
AUDIO: 911 call :15
“You’re going to hear about a child that was isolated, starved, abused, maltreated, and then had the courage on February 6th of 2012 to run away,” said District Attorney Ishmael Ozanne, who’s handling the high profile case against Chritton. Chritton’s attorney, William Hayes, said his client is learning disabled and tried to help his daughter, but she suffers from mental health issues.
The girl’s stepmother is also charged and will stand trial in April, while a stepbrother will go to trial in June on charges that he sexually assaulted her.
Robin Colbert, WIBA