Russellville couple charged with attempted murder, abuse of 7-year-old son

Video: Russellville 7-year-old allegedly tied in closet by couple, hospitalized after ‘physical and mental torture’

POPE COUNTY, Ark. – Court records show a couple jailed in Russellville for alleged child abuse is now facing additional charges, including attempted capital murder.

Husband and wife, 39-year-old Chris Freeman and 27-year-old Katelyn Freeman, were arrested after a police investigation following a 7-year-old boy in critical condition who was admitted to Arkansas Children’s Hospital on July 15. The pair, at the time of their arrest, were each facing a charge of battery in the first degree and endangering the welfare of a minor.

The Freemans are facing additional charges per an Aug. 19 court filing. The new charges are a single charge of attempted capital murder, two additional charges of first-degree battery, two charges of kidnapping, and a single charge of tampering with physical evidence.

Police said at the time of the Freemans’ arrest, the investigation was ongoing and additional charges were possible.

The court has sealed the affidavit justifying the charges, which is typical when a juvenile is involved.

The Freemans have two other children, a five-year-old boy and a three-year-old girl. None of the children have been named by investigators or court records.

The seven-year-old was admitted to Arkansas Children’s Hospital after being taken to the Dardanelle Regional Medical Center by the Freemans the morning of July 15.

Medical staff at the time described the child as “pale, limp and extremely underweight at just 28 pounds.” Authorities said doctors told investigators that after years of malnutrition, the 7-year-old was a “near fatality.”

Officials said the child remains in the hospital.

Police officials said the Freemans admitted to investigators at the time that they locked the boy in the closet and did not take him to a doctor “for fear of repercussions and embarrassment.”

“At that time, there was two other siblings, a five-year-old boy and a three-year-old girl,” Russellville Police Chief David Ewing said after the July arrest. “There is indications of malnourishment on one of them, not to the extreme as the seven-year-old.”

A spokesperson said the abuse at the home was a case of “physical and mental torture.”

With the new charges, the Freemans’ first court appearance has been moved back to Sept. 29. They both remain in custody with no bond listed.