The trial continues.
Trial continues in parental abuse case
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A jury will decide this week whether a Canyon Lake man is guilty of beating his son because of his sexual orientation.
Murray A. Erickson, 49, is charged with causing injury to a child on March 4, 2007, a third degree felony, which carries a penalty of probation to 10 years in prison.
Lead prosecutor Steven De Lemos said the case centered on where to draw the line between parental discipline and abuse.
“This case is about to what degree and what is reasonable about the use of force to discipline a child to promote their well being. This was about Erickson trying to get his son to defend himself at school,” he said. “From the evidence we have it appears to us that (in this case) the force was excessive.”
Erikson’s son made a statement to police and Child Protective Services in March 2007, alleging that his father had beat him.
The boy, now 15, was 12 at the time of the incident.
Calls made to defense counsel Mario Del Prado were not returned by press time.
The jury will hear from two witnesses Wednesday, one of them a medical expert. The prosecution and defense are expected to make their closing arguments before jury goes into deliberation. The trial will resume at 9 a.m. in front of District Judge Jack Robison.
