Jupiter father won't testify in child abuse trial over locking teen in room in garage
WEST PALM BEACH — The Jupiter father on trial for allegedly confining one of his children to a box-like structure in the garage of his home elected not to take the stand in his own defense Wednesday.
Defense attorney Prya Murad made the announcement in court, and Timothy Ferriter confirmed his decision during a colloquy with Circuit Judge Howard Coates.
The defense rested its case, setting the stage for closing arguments to begin after five days of trial. Jurors could begin deliberating the case as soon as Thursday.
Ferriter, 48, faces charges of aggravated child abuse, false imprisonment, and child neglect after Jupiter police alleged that he and his wife, Tracy, kept the child confined for multiple hours at a time in an 8-foot-by-8 structure in the garage of the family’s Egret Landing home.
Tracy Ferriter is set to face trial on charges of aggravated child abuse and false imprisonment at a later date.
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Both were arrested in February 2022, days after police discovered the structure while conducting a missing-child investigation when the teenager at the center of the abuse allegations ran away from home. The Palm Beach Post is not identifying the teenager by name or gender.
Statements to police by the Ferriters suggest that their teen got in trouble at Independence Middle School on Jan. 27, 2022, the day before the child ran away. Officers found the child outside the school on Jan. 31, 2022, according to an arrest report.
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Investigators said the Ferriters had the room built in their garage shortly after buying their home in late 2021, police investigators said. They had it demolished 12 days after their arrests.
The teenager testified during Timothy Feritter’s trial, describing confinement to the garage structure as “dehumanizing.” The teenager also described Timothy and Tracy Ferriter’s actions as a mistake.
"I don't have a bad image of Tim or Tracy," the teen said during cross-examination by Murad. "They just made a mistake. They were just acting of out of frantic surprise of my actions. I believe that they weren't trying to do any harm. I believe that people should recognize that that was a mistake and forgive them and move on."
Psychologist for defense: Parents made mistakes but meant no harm
Ferriter’s attorneys described his actions as those of a frustrated father struggling to deal with the difficulties of a child’s behavior. They argued that Ferriter’s actions did not equate either to abuse or neglect.
The defense began presenting its case Friday and resumed Tuesday with testimony from Dr. Sheila Rapa, a licensed psychologist who testified as an expert for the defense.
Rapa told jurors the teen’s medical records indicated symptoms indicative of an attachment disorder. She told jurors that she found parts of Timothy and Tracy Ferriter’s responses to the child’s behavior to be inappropriate but did not believe the couple intentionally tried to harm the child.
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“I don’t believe they were malicious in so far as they were deliberately trying to abuse or hurt their child,” Rapa said. “I think they were responding to behaviors that they were very concerned about. … I think in their mind they were trying to control some behaviors and keep everybody safe in the process.”
The defense played videos showing the teen interacting with family members outside the garage structure, countering hours of videos presented by the state during the final two days of its case.
Prosecutors show video of father warning child kept in garage room
Prosecutors presented the jury with a different picture of the teen’s life, showing numerous video recordings from footage captured by a Ring surveillance camera installed inside the garage structure.
The teen could be seen interacting with one or both parents at times, and alone in the structure at others. The teen could be heard screaming at points while alone in the room.
In one clip, Timothy Ferriter could be heard admonishing the teen over the use of an air-conditioner unit inside the structure.
“Don’t touch the air conditioning,” Ferriter is heard saying. “Do I have to say it again and again and again? Don’t ever touch it.”
In another part of the video Ferriter is heard asking the teen, “Why do you have a (expletive) attitude?”
The videos also showed less hostile interactions, with Ferriter at one point speaking to the teen about books and encouraging the teen to “keep reading.”
Prosecutors alleged that the Ferriters' pattern of abusive behavior toward the child began during the family's time living in Arizona and continued when the family moved back to Florida. They alleged that the during the teen's periods of confinement, the teen was provided with a bucket to use as a toilet.
Julius Whigham II is a criminal justice and public safety reporter for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jwhigham@pbpost.com and follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @JuliusWhigham. Help support our work: Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Father won't testify in case of Jupiter teen locked in garage room
