Social Media Helps Get Justice For Family And Abused Baby Boy
The internet may have its flaws but sometimes it does some good and in the case of 1-year-old Jacob Marbury it was instrumental in making a difference.
According to their post on Facebook, back in March, Joshua Marbury and his wife Alicia Quinney came home to find that the babysitter, Markell Deon Hilaire, who is a friend of the couple, had physically abused their son Jacob.
No one would argue that an abused baby with visible bruises on their body isn't enough proof for an arrest but apparently it wasn't enough to charge Hilaire, at least in Oregon.
In Oregon, a victim has to be able to say that pain was inflicted due to physical injury and since Jacob is an infant he can't do that so convicting Hilaire would be tough.
Left without options, Jacob's parents decided to share their story on Facebook and asked people to share it with others so that they may spread the word on a national level by getting the attention of the media.
After several pleas from complete strangers on social media, a hashtag, #JusticeforJacob, spreading the word with over 400k shares and petitions promoting the story, a difference was made.
On June 6, the family revealed, in another social media post, that Hilaire was arrested on June 3 and charged with criminal mistreatment and two counts of assault.
While the charges against Hilaire don't change Oregon's current law, it did help the family get justice for their child and has helped bring attention to the problematic law.
"Thank you all for your support and continued support as this case moves forward. We will keep fighting for Oregon's law to be changed!!" Quinney wrote on Facebook.
Subscribe to Latin Post!
Sign up for our free newsletter for the Latest coverage!