DODGEVILLE, Wis. — The adoptive mother and father of a 13-year-old girl who died while in the care of a Mineral Point mother and daughter took the stand Monday during the first day of the murder trial of the two women.
Lisa and David Kaden are the adoptive parents of Selah Kaden. Kaden died in 2018 while being cared for by Laurie Barry, 53, and Alexis Barry, 30. Both women face a felony charge of first-degree reckless homicide-party to a crime.
An autopsy revealed Kaden died from homicidal smothering or suffocation and blunt force patterned beating.
The Kadens, who live in North Carolina, sent the girl to live in Mineral Point with the Barrys due to behavioral problems at home. The two families had been close when they lived in Madison.
“At no point in time did we think our daughter was in any danger,” Lisa Kaden said in court. “We thought that this was a continuation of her mental health issues and that it was a continuation of her attention-seeking issues. At no time had we felt that she was in any danger.”
A lawyer asked David Kaden if there was any agreement between the Kadens and the Barrys regarding physical discipline of Selah while she was in Wisconsin.
“There was a discussion, a mention about spanking,” David Kaden answered. “It was brief. The Barrys knew that we didn’t spank.”
The trial is expected to last two weeks.
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