A three-year-old girl was apparently smothered to death by eight people during an exorcism ritual in Malaysia on Sunday night.
The toddler died after being pinned down by her parents, relatives and the family maid with their bodies during a ritual ostensibly to chase away evil spirits in the family.
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals has upheld the conviction of a man found guilty in the 2008 beating death of his girlfriend’s 13-month-old daughter, Amora Bain Carson.
The child was beaten with a hammer, sexually assaulted, and bitten more than 20 times.
A court in Brussels opened the trial of six people charged in connection with the 2004 murder of a young Muslim woman in a deadly act of exorcism, a practice of evicting demons or other spiritual entities from a person believed to be possessed.
The woman was reportedly deceived into believing that she could not have children because she was possessed and that she had to undergo a practice of exorcism.
The Indiana Court of Appeals has upheld a jury’s rejection of an insanity defense in the case of a woman who suffocated her 3-year-old son by forcing him to drink oil and vinegar because he was possessed by a demon.
In June 2011 Latisha Lawson was sentenced to 62 years in prison.
An organization which promotes scientific, critical and skeptical thinking is calling for an inquiry to learn just how prevalent exorcisms are in Canada after a news report last week said a church in Saskatoon, Canada, is actively seeking an exorcist.
Church officials says no exorcism took place, and a bishop stated the church recognizes the importance of psychology and medicine to assist those struggling with mental illness.
The father and step-mother of a 14-year-old girl from western Sweden, charged with repeatedly beating and burning the girl because they “thought she was a witch”, were freed of all charges on Tuesday.
The court concluded that the girl’s story wasn’t strong enough to convict the charged four against their “not guilty” plea.
A perceived demonic possession in Saskatoon has caught the Catholic Church there off guard since it has no one trained to perform an exorcism.
Bishop Don Bolen said it was not clear if the Saskatoon man was possessed or experiencing a mental breakdown.
Another teenage girl in Borås, western Sweden, has been subjected to physical abuse such as kicks, beatings and electric shocks, as her parents tried to exorcise her from evil spirits.
The parents are reportedly connected to The River, a controversial church.
Under the guidance of Bob Larson, who claims to be “the world’s foremost expert on cults, the occult, and supernatural phenomena,” three girls ‘cast out demons’ — for a price.
ABC Nightline says there are very serious questions about the safety and morality of what the girls are doing for others, especially those who might need mental health care.
The Australian Medical Association (AMA) has warned about the alarming rise in the number of exorcism attempts in Australia – some on children as young as two.
Dr Choong-Siew Yong, who represents psychiatry on the AMA’s Federal Council, says saying someone was possessed could reinforce their delusions and stop them getting proper care.