A couple in Washington state was convicted of manslaughter and homicide on Monday for the death of their adopted daughter, NBC reported.
Carri and Larry Williams were accused of killing their daughter, Hana, after she died of hypothermia in their backyard in 2011.
Carri Williams has maintained her innocence throughout the case but was found guilty of homicide by abuse, according to a representative from the Skagit County Prosecutor's Office.
Larry Williams was convicted of manslaughter - a lesser charge than his wife's - after the jury could not decide on whether or not he was guilty of murder by abuse. He was charged with manslaughter after the judge declared a mistrial,
"There was no theory and insufficient evidence of manslaughter in the first degree," said Rachel Forde, Larry Williams' lawyer, to KOMO.
The Williams adopted Hana in 2008, just three years before she was found dead in the family's backyard. Investigators said the couple beat her, starved her, and forced her to use an outhouse.
Both parents were charged with the assault of a child linked to their 10-year-old son, also adopted from Ethiopia. The couple reportedly practiced parenting methods listed in "How go Train a Child."
The defense team said their controversial parenting methods did not mean they broke the law.
The trial was delayed several times after Hana's age could not be confirmed due to lack of identification documents from Ethiopia. Her age was significant to the case because murder by abuse charges can only be filed if the victim is under 16.
"It was a very sad, sad story," Skagit County Prosecuting Attorney Rich Weyrich said. "It was something that shouldn't have happened. Fortunately, we were able to prove the charges, so we were able to hold them accountable.
Both parents will be sentenced next month and face the chance of life in prison. Defense lawyers said they plan to appeal the verdict.
