NEWARK, N.J. — A federal jury in Newark has finished a second day of deliberations without a verdict in the trial of a former Army couple charged with abusing their three foster children.
John and Carolyn Jackson face multiple charges including child endangerment and assault.
John Jackson was an Army major at Picatinny Arsenal in northwestern New Jersey when the alleged crimes occurred. The couple now lives in Burlington County.
Prosecutors allege the Jacksons' three foster children, all toddlers, suffered injuries including a broken arm and fractured spine and were severely underweight when they were removed from the family home in 2010.
The children allegedly were forced to eat hot pepper flakes and drink hot sauce as punishment.
The couple's attorneys say the child-raising methods may have been objectionable but weren't illegal.
