Parents Plead Not Guilty

A New Jersey couple who was accused eight months ago of starving their four adopted sons faced a judge Monday.

Raymond and Vanessa Jackson have been charged with 28 counts of endangering the welfare of a child and aggravated assault. They pleaded not guilty Monday during their first court appearance. The Jacksons waived their rights to have the charges read in open court.

Four of the Jacksons' children were taken away from them after their oldest son, Bruce, was found by a neighbor rummaging through a trash can for food.

"There are a number of allegations. One, of course, is they were maltreated. That there wasn't appropriate nutrition given to them, and care. In addition to that, there was withholding of medical treatment," said Camden County prosecutor Vincent Sarubbi.

The Jackson family made national headlines last fall when they were charged with starving the four boys who they took in as foster children and later adopted.

The charges against Raymond and Vanessa Jackson carry a maximum penalty of 280 years in prison for each of them.

Raymond Jackson's attorney, Richard Josselson, said that the adopted children had problems before they came into the family.

"There's indications of fetal-alcohol syndrome from the parents of these children, when the children weren't even born yet. There's indications of psycho-social dwarfism, which is another thing," Josselson said.

However, Bruce said that his parents did not feed them.

"Bruce is a very sick child. He's sick physically because of the conditions, but in addition to that -- mentally -- he's very, very sick," Josselson said.

It has not yet been decided if the children involved in the case will be called to testify. Another court appearance for the Jacksons is coming up in September.

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