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Georgia jury finds parents guilty of child abuse. They maintain there's a medical reason for son's injuries

Tarilyn and Tyler Alexander's sons were taken away from them after they took their oldest to the hospital to get to the bottom of his unexplained injuries.

Rebecca Lindstrom

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Published: 6:00 AM EDT July 25, 2024
Updated: 11:32 PM EDT July 24, 2024

Tracie and Johnnie Lester’s children were one by one, growing up and moving out of the house. The couple had started to discuss what retirement might look like.

“We were finally at the point where we didn’t have to hire a babysitter, and we could leave the youngest one here,” said Tracie Lester. 

But sitting in a playroom packed with toys, it was clear retirement would have to wait. She now had two new young boys giggling as they picked through the bins of musical instruments, stuffed animals, and cars looking for just the right one.

As they played, the phone rang. It was their mother, Tarilyn, calling from prison. 

Three years ago, Tarilyn and her husband Tyler Alexander were accused of abusing their first-born Parker, who at the time was 8 weeks old.

Shortly after, the Lesters got custody of the boys to keep them out of foster care while the parents fought the accusations.

Credit: 11Alive Investigates

The couple believed so strongly they’d reunify that as the jury took a break from their deliberations at the Pike County courthouse, they were down the street child-proofing their boys’ bedroom. After all, their sons both left as infants but would return as toddlers.  

But the jury was not convinced. 

While two of the charges were thrown out during the trial due to conflicting evidence, the jury found the couple guilty of 12 of the remaining charges.

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