The Indictment against Aaron Thompson, alleging he abused his daughter Aarone Thompson and that the abuse resulted in her death, has been unsealed. It tells an ugly story.

The 60-count indictment of the father, Aaron Thompson, quotes witnesses, including the other children, who say Aarone was abused for at least two years, beginning in 2002. The grand jury indictment, released today, paints a picture of Thompson and the girlfriend, Shely Mary Lowe, as sadistic parents who beat all of the eight children in the household with fists, a baseball bat, belt, broomstick or electric cord. ….Among the grand jury charges are 20 counts of child abuse, seven counts of child abuse resulting in death, two counts of concealing a death and two counts of abusing a corpse.

Shely Mary Lowe is dead, Aarone’s body has never been recovered. Aaron Thompson is in custody awaiting trial. I think the Rocky Mountain News should have mentioned in the article that the Indictment is merely a statement of charges and is not evidence. At a minimum, it should have included the fact that Mr. Thompson has pleaded not guilty to the sentence “Thompson is awaiting trial.” A little balance would have been nice, particularly since Mr. Thompson continues to be presumed innocent.