Son denied water for wetting his bed dies

A 10-year-old Texas boy, Jonathon James died in July because his father and step-mother deprived him of water for 5 days during a 100+ heat wave.  Authorities have now released details of the death.

Michael Ray James and Tina Alberson dealt out this tortuous "punishment" to their son because, apparently, he had wet the bed some time in the weeks prior. In addition to this, they also forced him to stand in an un-air-conditioned room with his twin brother, Joseph -- by the window so the sun would beat down on them. According to Joseph, the day Jonathan died, he had peanut butter stuck in his throat, but their parents "still wouldn't let him have water" to wash it down. Joseph, who was extremely close with his brother, stood there and watched his twin die because he was scared the same thing would happen to him if he tried to help.

The boy's grandmother said that his twin brother had wanted to help, but was afraid he would be punished too. 'I did tell him, “I don't want you to feel guilty because there's nothing you could do.” And he says, “I wish I had snuck him some water”,' Sue Shotwell said.

When rescuers picked Jonathan up after he collapsed, he was laying in a bath tub. Alberson told authorities that he was sick. She told police that he had been trying to cool him off and that he had been feeling sick for a number of days.  But they knew she was lying and called investigators while they were trying to revive him. 

Alberson and James have since been jailed in a Dallas prison, charged with injury to a child. Shotwell said she is now concerned for the twin, because he watched his brother collapse and has been having nightmares reliving the moment he died.The boys had been spending the summer with their biological father because of a custody arrangement.

They had been reluctant to go.
If convicted, James and Alberson could face up to 99 years in prison.  Who knows what will wind up happening to the parents of poor, little Jonathan. I can only hope and pray that neither one of them sees the light of day for a long, long time -- if ever again. And although I'm glad they're both sitting in jail (hopefully, without water), I'm not so sure that's the proper place for them. Seems like they're more suited to be strapped down somewhere in a mental ward. Because only the sickest of people are capable of doing something like this.

Kids wet their beds and yes sometimes it's frustrating, but if you wouldn't even leave a dog without water for 5 days why would you do it to a human being that is part of you!?  These people are sick and hopefully they get what they deserve!!