By Donna Westfall – June 16, 2017 – On today’s schedule of witnesses:

First up: Mercy’s 17 year old brother

When court was dismissed the day before, Mercy’s brother mentioned he had something very important to say. Attornies for both sides went out of the courtroom to confer with him.  This morning, he was brought back into the witness stand and related that he saw his sister, Mercy, two days before at the hotel she was staying at. She told him that if Bryan got out of jail, she was going to kill herself.  End of testimony.

Next:  Dr. James Reid McKellar, Clinical Psychologist.

He gets paid $250 an hour to review files and documents, and $300 an hour for testifying.  He did not remember how many hours he billed for or how much he had been paid. But the local taxpayers association has plans to request a copy of his billing sometime in the future when the dust has settled

The documents consisted of CAST interviews, Child Protective Services (CPS) and hospital records and court transcripts.  He consulted with the foster parents. Then he met separately with three of the Ranger children once face-to-face in 2015.   ONE TIME!

The problem I have with this goes back to an old computer term: GIGO – garbage in, garbage out.

If he’s reviewing documents based on biased information; how can he reach a good conclusion? If he’s reading docs or watching CAST video’s based on children lying, how can he reach an accurate evaluation?

In the case of one daughter his evaluation determined that she suffered from severe signs of PTSD plus attachment disturbance. He evaluated her in 2015; two years after she was out of the Ranger household.

She is currently in an out-of-state locked facility. Who makes the decision to send a child to that level of care?  Not the foster parent.  It’s left up to the people in Social Services, a team. ” It’s expensive.  Very expensive.”  And in his opinion, “if she was forced to testify she does not have the capacity to deal with any level of stress.”

Bryan Ranger’s attorney, William Cater, asked the question if Dr. McKellar was aware that she recanted every time a trial date was set and coincidentally was sent to a mental hospital?

Attorney for the prosecution, Joyce Blair asked the Doctor, “Are you aware that Mercy’s brother has recanted.”

Dr. McKellar answered, “Yes.  I think it’s tragic.  This boy is so damaged he can’t connect with anyone else.” This comment proves that the Doctor was paid to respond only to the benefit of the prosecution and this so-called expert showed extreme prejudice.

Attorney Cater made the remark that the nine children were removed suddenly from their close family.  Their ages, 1 year to 16 years old.

“Prior to being removed from their home did any of them have suicide attempts.”

The doctor didn’t know, but the answer is NO they did not.

After removal from their family home, several of the children have attempted suicide.

After Dr. McKellar was dismissed.

Debbie Magana-Parsons took the stand

She is the adoptive mother of Mercy’s 17 year old brother. Her testimony covered the following:

• He was afraid of his dad
• He had trouble sleeping
• He talked about beatings for hours and they never fed him or eating only oatmeal
• He told her he could hear his mom being hit by Bryan Ranger
• She had to take him to ER several times, 3-5 times.  He would tie things around his neck.
• He made a couple friends at school, but he’s bullied
• After he was in her home for 3 years, then he was placed in a group home for 8 months to a year

Now what was not brought up in court is that he filed emancipation paperwork with the court last month in an attempt to get out of Debbie’s house; and that she found out about it by opening the envelope addressed to him from the court the same day she returned home from being in rehab at Serenity Lane for drug and alcohol abuse.  Let’s stay tuned in for future cross examination on this point.

Let’s go back to Debbie’s testimony:

“He’s very responsible, becoming very responsible.  No interest in living with his biological parents only with his siblings.  He started sneaking out and seeing his mother, Judy, but he would tell me.”

Question by Attorney Joyce Blair about what was different when he started spending time with his mother and working with Donna Westfall?

Answer by Debbie that when I went to Donna Westfall’s house I didn’t feel Donna is supportive of him or the judicial system.  She was saying things against the police and he agreed.

OK.  Only a couple things wrong with her statement that she made about me under oath.  To the best of my recollection, I never met Debbie.  I spoke to Debbie by phone a couple of years ago to get her permission to have her adoptive son work for me part time.  We never spoke about law enforcement. The first time I saw Debbie face-to-face was at the courthouse on Thursday, June 15th.  We were not introduced.

Two other Ranger girls were witnesses in the afternoon, along with Carlene White, adoptive mother to five of the Ranger children – but we’ll get back to them another time.