A somewhat novel defense is being mounted for a mother, uncle, and grandfather accused in the death of a three-year-old girl in San Jose who was allegedly tortured, starved, and abused for 12 hours before being asphyxiated, all in the name of an exorcism.
The incident made headlines in May 2022 only after a small, makeshift Pentacostal church on a residential street in San Jose became linked to the high-profile kidnapping of infant Brandon Cuellar. One of the accused kidnappers, 43-year-old Yesenia Ramirez, was a member of the church, which was led by pastor Rene Huezo, aka Rene Trigueros Hernandez.
The church was called Iglesia Evangelica Apostoles y Profetas…