David Stuart, Murder, Child Abuse

A North Carolina man has died as a result of injuries he sustained decades ago as a child.

When David Stuart, 22, was only a year old, his mother and her boyfriend subjected him to constant child abuse. Robyn Noffsinger and David Tripp broke the infant's legs and arms, placed him in boiling water, burned him, and put a toxic liquid into his eyes.

In 1997, David was brought to the hospital with head injuries, broken limbs, and burns on his bottom.

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Noffsinger and Tripp were arrested and convicted of felony child abuse. They spent 12 years in prison and were released in 2005 and 2006. This week they are back in jail on charges of first-degree murder after David died of his injuries last month.

Prosecutors say his death has been linked directly to the abuse he suffered decades ago.

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“It was a tremendous amount of head trauma,” Jon David, Brunswick County’s District Attorney said. “His arm was pulled in such a way that he had a spiral fracture of his arm. He was dipped in hot liquids which produced a bad burn.”

In 1999, two psychologists, Beth Schmitt and Lori Stuart, adopted David. Doctors didn't expect him to live past the age of seven, so his adopted parents made sure to give him a wonderful life with the time they had.

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Confined to a wheelchair and in need of 24-hour care and feeding tubes, David still went on roller coasters, go-kart tracks, road trips and hot air balloon rides.

“He was literally at the time of his death a man to be sure, but in many respects still an infant from the standpoint that he needed round-the-clock care by some very loving caregivers,” said David. “These women are true heroes.”

Because he died as the result of the trauma his original caretakers forced upon him, his adoptive parents believe that Noffsinger and Tripp should be behind bars.

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“I felt like, David has had his sentence his whole life. I am having my sentence without my son, so I think they should do their sentence," said Lori Stuart.

Both of the suspects are currently behind bars.

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Emily Blackwood is an editor at YourTango who covers pop culture, true crime, dating, relationships and everything in between. Every Wednesday at 7:20 p.m. you can ask her any and all questions about self-love, dating, and relationships LIVE on YourTango’s Facebook page. You can follow her on Instagram (@blackw00d), Twitter (@emztweetz) or on her website at www.emily-blackwood.com.

Keywords: crime, murder

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