Boy starved to death for refusal to say ‘amen’

A TODDLER whose remains were found in a suitcase in Philadelphia was starved to death by members of a religious cult, including his mother, in part because he refused to say “amen” after meals, said police.

Ria Ramkissoon, the mother of Javon Thompson, was charged with first-degree murder in the boy’s death, and Baltimore police said yesterday that three other members of a group called 1 Mind Ministries have also been charged with first-degree murder. Police and Ramkissoon’s family say the group is a cult.

Members did not seek medical care for Javon when he stopped breathing, and the boy died in his mother’s arms, according to court documents that described police interviews with a confidential informant and two children. He would have been about 15 months old when police say adults stopped feeding him in December 2006.