UPDATE: Story of alleged 7th victim detailed on K.C.'s WDAF-TV
By Jeff Noedel
WARNING: THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS GRAPHIC CONTENT AND A LINK TO GRAPHIC CONTENT
UPDATE: MON., NOV. 16, 2009:
Kansas City's WDAF-TV (Fox4) has reported that in 1999, a Kansas City area man named Mark Young divorced his wife. His ex-wife got custody of the former-couple's seven year-old son.
The ex-wife then married Burrell "Ed" Mohler Jr.
Not long after, Mark Young met Burrell Mohler Jr.'s own ex-wife. Burrell's ex-wife -- whose own six children the Mohlers allegedly abused -- told Young that she had learned that "Jr. was quite fond of (Young's) son and liked to sleep with him." Young quickly sued for custody of his boy, alleging the child was being abused. He won custody.
Young told WDAF-TV that Burrell Mohler Jr. made threats against him.
Mark Young's son is now 17; his dad says the young man is "doin' great."
If true, this episode is important in two ways. First, it is an event that occured well after the 1988 to 1995 period of alleged abuse by Burrell Jr.'s biological children. It would suggest a longer period of alleged child sexual abuse. Second, this would be one alleged victim who is not a blood relative of the Mohlers, but instead a step-son.
But it begs the question: If Mark Young's emergency custody hearing documented abuse by Burrell Mohler Jr., why did it take eight more years to bring Mohler to justice?
To view the WDAF-TV report, click here.
UPDATE: SAT., NOV. 14, 2009:
A sixth man has been charged in an alleged sex-abuse ring east of Kansas City, Mo. from 1988 to 1995.
Darrel Mohler, 72, was arrested Friday outside his home in Florida. The day before, he told reporters he considered the actions of his brother and nephews "if true -- unspeakable and replusive." Florida police arrested the 72-year-old for those same actions a day later.
Back in western Missouri, Lafayette County Sheriff Kerrick Alumbaugh told reporters at a press conference Friday that he intends to file more charges against the men next week. He said the evidence against the men is in the form of "victim statements." If a two-day search for buried jars with notes from victims or buried bodies of victims yielded any evidence, the sheriff and prosecutor Kelley Wingate are not talking about it.
To read a three-page sworn probable cause statement from one Cynthia L. Schroer -- filed Friday and detailing some of the evidence against the men -- put online by WDAF-TV, click here. (WARNING: The probable cause statements in this case contain disturbing, graphic content.) On page two of the probable cause statement, the accuser writes, Burrell Mohler Sr. fathered four sons, including Burrell Mohler Jr. "Burrell Jr. fathered six children; five girls and one boy. Burrell Sr. also has a brother by the name of Darrel Mohler. The six children of Burrell Jr. have now approached authorities with information alleging abuse by all four sons of Burrell Sr. (their father and three uncles), as well as (grandfather) Burrell Sr. himself. Some of the victims also name Darrel Mohler (great uncle) as a perpetrator of child sexual abuse."
The probable cause statement says that a granddaughter of Burrell Sr. remembers being raped by her grandfather when she was six years old. The now-grown woman and one of her sisters also are quoted in the probable cause statement alleging that their great uncle Darrel Mohler raped two of the girls when they were five and six years old, and then their grandfather threatened to kill them if they were not quiet.
The Associated Press has reported, "The original complaint in the case includes allegations of bestiality, forcing children into fake marriages with relatives and making an 11-year-old have an abortion."
WDAF-TV, Channel 4, in Kansas City is reporting that three of the accused child abusers were lay ministers in an Independence, Mo. church.
ORIGINAL REPORT: WED., NOV. 11, 2009:
A 77-year-old man and four of his middle-aged sons in western Missouri were charged yesterday on multiple charges of forcible sodomy and rape of children between 1988 and 1995. According to the Kansas City Star, a woman has told authorities of her and other children being forced to line up on a bed on their knees and each being assaulted by the men.
It gets worse.
In a news conference today, the sheriff of Lafayette County, Mo., Kerrick Alumbaugh, said he suspects multiple children were killed and may be buried on property once controlled by the men.
Charged so far with Class A felonies are Burrell Edward Mohler Sr., 77; Burrell Edward Mohler Jr., 53; Jared Leroy Mohler, 48, of Columbia; David A. Mohler, 52, of Iowa; and Roland Neil Mohler, 47, of Bates City. All five are in the Lafayette County Jail on cash bonds ranging from $30,000 to $75,000.
In this afternoon's news conference, the sheriff said he believes victims came from all over the U.S.
Comments
DA LYNCH MOB
MY comment "If tried and convicted, this would be good reason to reinstitute public hangings" implied that a fair trial would be the first priority. This was not to imply there should be a lynching. Just trying to keep this in perspective.
That said....
I agree!! SHOW the low lifes of society what awaits them if they do evil.... and that's the only term I can think of for a group that would do something on a scale as is alleged here!!!! If convicted, MAKE EM AN EXAMPLE!
im just wondering
ok... so there are 6 family and friends, and not one, just one, that has the sense to say, hey this is wrong, what the hell are ya doing... i dont get it.
I agree.....
that all the evidence needs to be gathered and all the "victim" statements needs to be corraborated. Then, if these "men" are convicted of the crimes of which they are being accused, I say the world would be a better place if they were simply executed instead of being allowed to breathe the same as air as decent, law abiding people even if given life sentences in a prison some where. If they are convicted of what they are being accused of, in my opinion, there is nothing that could possibly justify what they did to innocent children. Maybe if some of these convicted pedophiles and perverts received the ultimate punishment, some of the ones out there getting ready to prey on the innocent for their own disgusting perverted sense of pleasure, would think twice. One innocent child saved would be worth all the lives of these convicted monsters.
Da lynch mob
When a story is this shocking . . . it is important not to get too carried away. The lynch mob mentality says "hang 'em, right now". Makes the argument for a fair trial based on concrete evidence all the more important.
It smacks of the false accusations and hysteria surrounding "Satanic ritual abuse" that ruined many innocent people's reputations in the 1980's.
If these jars with notes and/or bodies don't turn up, I'd say someone has a lot of explaining to do . . . and it isn't these five guys.
If the jars and/or bodies do turn up . . . then . . . hang 'em high.
How to deal with pedophiles and perverts
This story is truly disgusting and horrifying for anyone who has children or cares about children. In my opinion, these pathetic excuses for human beings (as well as all pedophiles and perverts) should be eliminated off the face of the earth as quickly as possible. There is no excuse that can be made for these people that should allow them to live another minute after ruining or ending the lives of innocent children. I do not want my tax money going to pay for the life long incarceration of these monsters. The only way to deal with these predators is to quickly and efficiently wipe them off the face of the earth. The death penalty should be given to any one convicted of such crimes against the innocent.
One would be very surprised
One would be very surprised by the evil that men do that goes unreported because the victims are to traumatized to come forward....even years later it haunts them...that is why it is called post traumatic stress syndrome. It can be extremely debilitating until help arrives thru therapy and the support of understanding communities. There is no statute of limitations for forceable rape but often the victims feel as though no one will believe them. That is what the perpretrators count on...
Fear keeps victims quiet
How seriously horrific this entire situation is! Victims of any type of abuse are in fear for their lives in most cases is why the crimes go unreported. Many years ago when issues arose families kept things under wraps so it did not bring shame on the family when what should have happened was justice. So often children do not have any advocate because too often they are scared for their lives or the lives of their siblings. Abuse is a vicious cycle and one would think that the severity of the punishments would be very severe. When you look at statistics, when an allegation is made the victim it always seems is the one who has to show proof and is put on trial. I pray for the victims of such horrid crimes and hope that somewhere they can find peace and healing. A perpetrator is only a perpetrator until he/she is stopped in their very tracks by the victims and a society that calls out for justice.
If tried and convicted, this
If tried and convicted, this would be good reason to reinstitue public hangings. How sick our society has become.
Unfortunately...
FEAR is a great motivator. Having had things like that done to you, and living under the "threat of death" all those years as a kid.... even when grown up and moved away, the victim is STILL intimidated... it just doesn't go away that easy!! Take as an example the "radical islamics" today.. they are but a FRACTION of the total numbers of Muslems worldwide, yet you see few if any speak out. Why?? FEAR!! They know they can be gotten to... This is pretty much the same thing.... partially due to the WEAKENING of our "Judicial System"!!! Used to be you didn't do the crime because you knew "You'd get the chair"!!! Now you get a law library, cable TV, Free Psych counseling and on and on, and then get let out early because "room is short"!!! BUILD MORE ROOM!! .... there's no FEAR of Justice anymore... and due to such, VICTIMS don't seem to feel safe calling out their violators.... if they KNEW that justice would take the "bad guy". lock him up,try him and then put him away for good, you might see more people have the strength to come forwards and fight for justice.... until people once again have FAITH that "justice will triumph".... I don't think you'll see things get much better.... Time to TOUGHEN UP AMERICA!!
Hank Vonk