In Oregon a husband and wife received probation after pleading guilty to negligent homicide in the faith healing death of their 16-year-old son. According to reports, Russel and Brandi Bellew allowed their 16-year-old son to die a painful and agonizing death from an infection caused by a burst appendix, choosing to treat their son with prayer rather than modern medicine.

The couple pleaded guilty to criminally negligent homicide on Tuesday, September 18, and were sentenced to five years probation after reaching a plea deal with prosecutors.

16-year-old Austin Lewis Sprout died after his appendix burst in December. Because of religious beliefs Sprout’s mother and stepfather watched the boy die rather than seek medical attention. Sheriff's Office deputies from Lane County, Oregon, arrested Brandi and Russel Bellew (Sprout's mother and step-father) in February after a seven-week investigation into the teen’s death.

Brandi and Russel Bellew are members of the General Assembly Church of the First Born, a faith healing church that has been implicated in the death of numerous children over the years. And apparently, the faith healing church is also implicated in the death of two other members of Sprout’s family.

Last year the Oregon House or Representatives voted to end legal protection for parents who choose faith healing over modern medicine to treat their sick child. The Oregon State Medical Examiner's office has estimated that in the past 30 years, more than 20 children of faith healing church members have died of preventable or curable conditions.