Pediatrician Guilty of Waterboarding Young Girl

He held stepdaughter's head under tap as punishment
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 14, 2014 12:17 AM CST
Pediatrician Guilty of Waterboarding Young Girl
Melvin L. Morse is seen in this photo provided by the Delaware State Police.    (AP Photo/Delaware State Police, File)

A Delaware pediatrician who considered himself an expert in near-death experiences involving children has been found guilty of waterboarding his companion's daughter and could be facing several years in prison. Melvin Morse, 60, was convicted of one felony reckless endangerment count for holding the 11-year-old girl's head under a faucet and five misdemeanors, reports the AP. He will be sentenced in April.

Morse was arrested in 2012 after he was seen dragging the girl across a gravel driveway by her ankle. Prosecutors said he ruled the household as "lord and master" and would hold the girl's face under a tap as a form of punishment, causing her to choke and fear for her life, reports the BBC. The girl's mother pleaded guilty to misdemeanor child endangerment charges last year and agreed to testify against Morse, whose lawyers denied that he had been experimenting on the girl. The girl and her younger sister are still in foster care. (More Melvin Morse stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X