Judge commends convicted murderer

BALTIMORE (AP):

A judge praised a young mother for great strides in her treatment after she starved her one-year-old son to death while part of a religious cult, and the woman's attorney said yesterday she is breaking free of the belief that her son will be resurrected.

Ria Ramkissoon pleaded guilty to a single count of child abuse resulting in death and received a suspended sentence. Prosecutors agreed to the deal after determining that she had been brainwashed by cult leader Queen Antoinette.

Ramkissoon, a native of Trinidad, testified in February that Antoinette ordered her not to feed or give water to her son, Javon Thompson, after the 16-month-old boy did not say "Amen" during a mealtime prayer. Javon starved to death over the course of a week.

Antoinette was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 50 years in prison. Her daughter, Trevia Williams, and another follower, Marcus A. Cobbs, received 15-year sentences.

After Javon died, Antoinette ordered Ramkissoon and her followers to pray for his resurrection, and Ramkissoon testified in February that she still believed her son would come back to life.