OREGON CITY, Ore. (AP) -- An Oregon couple who prayed for their
ailing prematurely born son rather than seeking medical care has
been found guilty of felony manslaughter.

A Clackamas County jury was unanimous in convicting Dale and
Shannon Hickman, both 26. They're members of the Followers of Christ Church in Oregon City, which has a history of rejecting
medical care for congregants' children and relying instead on prayer and anointing the sick with oils.

Prosecutors claimed Shannon Hickman never sought prenatal care
and the couple never considered taking the premature infant to the
hospital.

The child was born with a bacterial infection and underdeveloped lungs and died within nine hours after he had trouble breathing.

The Hickmans' attorney claimed religious persecution and said there was no evidence that medical care would have saved the baby.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)