Windie Perry and her adult adopted daughter, Elizabeth, 20, sexually abused and tortured two adopted girls, aged 11 and 13. They were accused of imprisoning the girls in a dog kennel, tying them to cots, depriving them of food for days at a time, beating them with bats and hammers, torturing them with staple guns, and sexually penetrating them. Earnest and Windie Perry had six adopted children in total. The abuse came to light after one of the girls fled to a neighbor’s house for help after being beaten. Windie homeschooled all of the children, and her pastor and friends from her homeschool co-op responded to the charges with disbelief, asserting that Windie had always been a devoted and kind mother. Windie and Elizabeth were both found guilty of the charges against them; Windie was sentenced to 20 years in prison and Elizabeth was sentenced to 8 years in prison.

Date: July 2008
Location: Clarksville, Tennessee