Karen Robidoux

American religious fanatic whose eleven-month-old baby, Samuel, died of malnutrition in 4/26/1999, three days before his first birthday. A member of a religious group composed mainly of members of the Robidoux and the Daneau families, Karen rejected modern medicine and society, believing that the group members communicate directly with God. Each member is commanded to follow whatever other members hear in their divine communications. The baby's aunt, Michelle Mingo, had a vision that the child should be fed nothing more than mother's milk in order to free Karen of her vanity and make amends for it. Jacques, the father of baby Samuel, was born in Middleboro, RI on 1/03/1973. He was convicted of 1st degree murder in Samuel's death. Michelle Mingo is charged with being an accessory. It was her father who founded the sect, Roland Robidoux, and it was generally considered that jealousy of her more attractive sister-in-law had motivated her vision. On February 3, 2004, Karen was acquitted of murder but convicted of assault and battery, a misdemeanor, which allowed her to walk away a free woman, since her sentence was deemed to have been served. On February 10, 2004, Michelle Mingo was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison but her sentence was limited to time already served as well.