A Texas judge who handles child abuse cases was captured on video brutally beating his teenage daughter, says the Associated Press. Aransas County Judge William Adams’ former wife, Hallie, speaking on NBC’s “Today” show, blamed the regular attacks on an addiction and said he brainwashed her into compliance. In the 8-minute video their then-16-year-old daughter Hillary secretly taped in 2004, the judge lashes the girl with a belt more than a dozen times.
Police in Rockport, Tx., where the 51-year-old judge lives, are investigating whether any crime was committed. The beating video was posted on You Tube. The video had been watched more than 1 million times by early today.