Looking Toward the Future
March 15, 2014 marks the beginning of Josh and Brenda’s battle to keep their family whole. One year later, March 19, 2015, marks the beginning of Josh’s incarceration and the further tearing apart of the Burns family. As we reflect back over the past year, the heartache, tragedy and injustice seem unbearable. But the year was also filled with glimpses of hope. We have seen the longed for return of Naomi to her amazing mother, Brenda. We have seen the unwavering faith, love and support of the Burns family’s supporters including extended family, friends, co-workers and church members. And we have seen an outpouring of outrage and support from the local community as well as from across the country.
As we look toward the next year it is hard to imagine what the future holds, but, our hope and faith rests in the belief that God’s justice, goodness and righteousness will always prevail in the end. The Burns are resolved to continue their fight for Josh’s exoneration and for the reunification of their family, but they cannot take the next step in their fight without your help.
The next step in the battle is to chisel away at the outstanding legal fees from Josh and Brenda’s trials and then start raising money for Josh’s appeal.
The Burns have resolved to appeal Josh’s case for several reasons: First, Josh is committed to continuing to financially support his wife and daughter even though the courts have taken away his ability to do so. As an airline pilot, it will be difficult to support his family with a felony conviction on his record. Overturning his conviction will allow him to continue providing for his family. Second, without an appeal, Josh cannot fully be reunited with his family. In April, the judge will decide if his parental rights will be terminated. If his rights are terminated, he can only be reunified with his family if he is exonerated through an appeal. If his parental rights are not terminated then DHS will control his relationship with Naomi for years and years to come. An exoneration would remove any oversight by DHS. Third, by successfully appealing his case Josh will make it more difficult for hospitals, CPS and prosecutors to falsely accuse other parents of “Shaken Baby Syndrome” (aka Abusive Head Trauma). In order to end the faulty diagnosis of Shaken Baby Syndrome, we must fight back.
In order to help the Burns move forward, TornFamily.com is asking supporters across the nation to help raise $60,000 by April 30, 2015. This money will be used to pay off outstanding attorney fees for both Josh and Brenda and to begin the appeals process. Please consider donating $10, $20, $50 or more toward this effort. Over the past year we have seen supporters of this family accomplish amazing things. We are calling on you once again to help this family fight the incredible injustice they have experienced. You can track the progress of raising these funds at this page. Please check back regularly to see the progress being made and please share with friends and family. Thank you for your continued commitment to helping this family fight injustice and become a whole family once again.
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