UPDATE: The Outcry Continues
January 3rd, 2007 by josh farleyAny way you look at it, State of Washington vs. Kimberly Forder is a tragic case.
Forder, 44, a Seabeck resident, has been charged with homicide by abuse in the death of her 8-year-old adopted son, Christopher Forder, in 2002. She’s also been charged with manslaughter.
The details, penned by Kitsap County Sheriff’s detectives in the probable cause statement for Forder’s arrest, are gruesome and difficult to read. They were outlined in a story by one of my colleagues, Derek Sheppard, when Forder was arrested.
A date for trial — April 16, 2007 — has been nailed down, and an investigator has been hired by Forder’s defense attorneys.
And in late December and in early January, we’ve had several new developments.
A jail inmate came forward with information — apparently unsolicited — that Forder had told her if she posted bail — reduced to $500,000 Dec. 26 — she’d be “gone.”
On Jan. 2, one of Forder’s sons, Michael, pleaded guilty to raping a family member. Part of his plea agreement, prosecutors said, was that he’d testify against his mother at the April-slated trial.
We’ve had discussions about the case at length on this
blog. And another crime blog — Crimeblog.us — too, has seen back
and forth banter of folks who appear to have no connection to
Kitsap County whatsoever.
Forder remains in Kitsap County jail on $1 million bail. To see the jail’s page that shows her in custody, click here.
As her trial date approaches, we are sure to learn more about the case. For now, most of the Forder family — Kimberly’s husband Robert and some of their children — remain in Africa, according to Kitsap County court documents. They, too, keep a blog, which you can see here.
Feel free to add your feelings on the case below.
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December 9th, 2006 at 12:18 am
It is hard not to prejudge but in this country a person is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
A child is dead. One or many people had to have contributed to the circumstances leading to his death.
‘Looking away’ – don’t want to get involved – allows the abuse to continue and makes such people guilty as the abuser.
And a child is dead.
A child that might be alive today if someone had cared enough to help him.
December 11th, 2006 at 8:46 am
Forder is not forgotten by the public. Especially by parents who have either put a child up for adoption or has had their child taken and placed for adoption. We mostly hear only the tragedies of adopted and foster children in our state. Killings and abuse of these children everywhere are escalating to such an alarming rate something needs to be done. The list is getting long and it will continue until the practice of taking children from their Bio parent for reasons that are trivial compared to where these kids end up stops. Has anyone found Christopher Forder’s real mother? Grieving for a dead child is easier than grieving for a child lost. That woman could maybe find some closure. She deserves to know and if I am right on this one the state who placed Christopher with the Forders in his best interest should be punished for their poor judgment.
December 12th, 2006 at 9:59 pm
I have been assured Christopher’s real mom was notified. Thank God! We must all do something to put a stop to the removal of kids from their families when it is not really in their best interest. Take away the federal adoption bonus and replace it with a reunification bonus and the problems will be solved. So sad that our society thinks money before morals.
December 13th, 2006 at 11:54 am
What is a “reunification bonus”?
If it is a money ‘bonus’ for the parent to keep the child…the child may well be better off somewhere else.
It is hard to imagine being the child of a parent paid to keep the child. Seems to me, such a thing accepted as ‘normal’ would continue the practice into the next generation ‘bonus.’
Wouldn’t such a thing tempt lazy, promiscuous women into having children because the state pays them a ‘bonus’ to keep them?
Please tell me “reunification bonus” doesn’t mean what I think it does.
December 13th, 2006 at 10:30 pm
The Federal Government pays a hefty bonus to states for every child adopted to strangers from foster care. To be eligible for these bonuses, the state must adopt out more children from foster care to strangers this year than they did last year. It works somewhat like compounded interest. This is part of the safe families act. It has spun out of control. If states were given hefty bonuses to reunify families there would be a complete turn around. States would be able to afford services for families that really need the help. Foster homes would become abundant because there would be a substantial decline in the numbers of children lingering in the system. This has become a huge industry. It is completely unnecessary for taxpayers to be forking out the revenue that we are currently forking out. The example I have is in 2003 98% of adoptions in Washington state were foster to adopt and 2% were stepparent adoptions. These were the figures given to the Federal Government to collect the adoption bonuses. It is ludicrous to believe that none of those kids in the 98% group had family that was willing to adopt them. My own daughter was one of them and she has a huge extended family that was willing to take her in. These family members are teachers, doctors, nurses and ordinary blue collar workers. The State told the courts there was no relative suitable to take her, while all the family members were told by the adoption worker she was in a different program and it was not an option for her to be placed with any of them. We now know the different program was the adoption bonus quota program.
December 14th, 2006 at 12:51 pm
“A child that might be alive today if someone had cared enough to help him.”
Or that might be alive today if someone had cared enough to help his natural mother and/or father to keep him, or at least remain within his own extended family. In this case (and so many others), money, as in saving it for the taxpayers if that is your bottom line, was not more important than the emotional and physical well being, and life, of a child.
December 14th, 2006 at 8:44 pm
It is hard to believe lawyers aren’t beating down your door to help them make changes in a system apparently gone amuck throwing money around…and not to the welfare of the child.
December 28th, 2006 at 11:52 pm
Well Forder has a good attorney as I said in a previous part of this blog. Olsen so far in my opinion has been a good compationate Judge.[fair] We will see if Forder is convicted. I believe the evidence is strong against her. I could only wish that justice will really be done. Since this was just a throw away adopted kid I suspect the punishment will reflect the difference between Bio and blood. Watch and remember my words and then you will see.
December 29th, 2006 at 12:38 am
Lawyers are into money for the most part. In Kitsap it seems they are into secure contracts with the county. Only since August of this year has the OPD started paying for the defense of parents in the dependency Courts. Much too late for so many kids. Why are they not beating down the doors? COSTS AND TIME!
December 31st, 2006 at 11:12 pm
I must have missed the vote on the top stories. The Forder disgrace, to me is #1 considering Christopher’s death. not his birth name. Adrian was his real name.That is his real name in heaven. That should be the correction made public in a special obituarity. Concidering His family, real family, was duped into believing he was placed with loving adoptive parents by the state of Oregon, They Lied! Our State lies every single day to make Federal money off of Christopher’s. Think about this when you curl up in bed tonight. Then wake up! Put a stop to the continued abuse of power in your backyard
January 3rd, 2007 at 12:06 am
Wow! A rapist gets a short sentence for agreeing to testify against a murderer. Disgusting how this system works. Kind of like Ridgeway.. Who knows if Kimberly tells of all her abuses maybe she will get probation….
January 3rd, 2007 at 4:24 pm
Why wouldn’t an attorney look toward a high profile case such as the one you suggest?
They all can’t all be so solidly booked that they couldn’t get together with other lawyers interested in such a case and – at the least – look into it. They could split the time involved to take the state to court and right a wrong… if a wrong exists.
I would.
January 7th, 2007 at 8:43 pm
What do you think of the inmate that came forward? Just curious. My thoughts have been well known. A disposable kid murdered will get a lesser sentence than a clinically depressed BIO parent. Mark my words. In other states the charges would have been MURDER 1 BY ABUSE. Welcome to Kitsap.
January 10th, 2007 at 7:15 pm
I was born in Kitsap County…I don’t know if what you claim is so… and do not know it is not so..
It does not seem reasonable to me…. ‘disposable kid…”?…that a welfare or foster child is used, abused and tossed…worse yet, nobody cares…especially the system causing the horrors… I find very hard to understand, hard to believe…
With any evidence at all, the prosecutors office should be filing charges… why aren’t they?
January 11th, 2007 at 9:20 pm
Sharon again I know my decriptions are harsh and cold. My point is that Forder was not charged with a crime that carries anywhere long enough of a sentence to punish her for what that little boy endured when he was given to them. I will be shocked if her sentence is equal to Rhoades. Remember Rhoades was the depressed mother that let her baby die. I do not believe there was any physical torture to that baby like reports say were inflicted on Adrian aka Christopher Forder. Rhoades got I believe 28 years in prision (blogger’s note: Rhoades received an approximately 18-year sentence). Probably because she was so depressed she did not have the strength to seek help. We will see if and when Forder is convicted, if her sentence is less. I am not sure what the sentencing guidelines are for homicide by abuse but, I doubt it is more than the sentence for second degree murder. Disposable kids is a description I use frequently to describe foster parents who adopt kids with good reason. Adopters can easily unadopt a child. It happens a lot, only it is refered to as a failed adoption. If a parent gives their child away or their child is taken by the state they are labeled as an unloving, uncaring monsters. This is so far from the real truth. Many parents who have had there children taken by the State are trumped up to be unfit. Only to have that child placed with a real unfit adoptive or foster parent. Nationaly the reports of abuse and deaths of foster and adopted children has skyrocketed in the past few years. This is probably only because media coverage started with the New Jersey case of the adopted kids eating out of trash cans followed by the adopted kids in Nigeria. These published cases are only a small fration we hear about. I probably hear more because of my own experience and the business I am involved in. There are days I try to sleep in total anguish over what I have found out about these disposable kids. They are many. One is too many. I keep saying everyone needs to speak up and put a stop to the unecessary removal of children, help Bio parents and save these kids from unecessary harm. Harm like in the Forder case. DEATH.
January 19th, 2007 at 7:55 pm
There are no disposable kids, Elaine…adopted, fostered or by birth parents.
There may victimized children…never disposable.
Your descriptions aren’t harsh and cold…but overpowering in an all or nothing mode.
I don’t believe anything is 100% one way or another… that ALL foster children are victimized…I have difficulty believing those kinds of numbers…
Sharon O’Hara
January 20th, 2007 at 11:52 pm
Sharon, Of coarse not all foster and adopted children are physically abused. They all suffer the emotional abuse of grief and loss issues. There are life long attachment disorders to some extent, in all children that have lost their family. Studies show that even as young as 6 months old children are affected. you will need to do your own search there are hundreds maybe thousands of studies concerning these kids.The effects vary from mild to extreme disorders such as post traumatic stress disorder which affects a higher percentage of foster children after being placed in foster care than our troops that have served in wars. I believe that study was done by The Pew Commission with the help of Harvard University Professors. Any child that can be kicked to the curb by a family, Foster, Adoptive Or Bio are disposable kids. Failed adoptions or foster placements are common.Too common. These children can be moved from home to home with just a phone call or as one child I know of being dropped off with her belongings at the front door of the Bremerton CPS office at 5PM on a Friday. This child was 6 years old. Now do you see why These kids are damaged by the system in these cases. They are at risk daily of being treated as disposable. I have a difficult time understanding how anyone under any circumstance could just give up on any child. Maybe My beliefs are that children need unconditional love and understanding to get them through rough times.
August 16th, 2007 at 9:26 am
Does anyone know what is going on with Forder?