GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — The Gwinnett County father newly convicted of abusing two of his children, including locking one in a basement for nearly two years, is speaking only to Channel 2 Action News.
Recardo Wimbush told Channel 2’s Tony Thomas he hopes one day to reunite his family and that he got what he deserved.
Wimbush, along with his wife Therian, will spend the next few years behind bars and it's unclear when he'll be able to speak to his children again.
Wimbush said he has regrets, but acting as his own lawyer isn't one of them.
“Why represent yourself?” Thomas asked Wimbush.
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“I see so many cases, I just don't feel like some attorneys are trying to do their best,” Wimbush told Thomas.
Wimbush said he had several other reasons to act as his own lawyer as he and his wife went on trial. For one, he told Thomas from behind jailhouse glass, he got to speak his own mind, directly to the jurors. And then there were 10 other reasons.
“I got to speak to my children,” Wimbush told Thomas. “I'll always be the father to 10 wonderful Wimbush children.”
A jury convicted the Wimbushes of second-degree child cruelty, saying they were negligent when they locked their oldest son in a basement room for 18 months for disobeying.
Therian Wimbush told the judge she alone was responsible.
“Everything that has been done was a joint agreement,” Recardo Wimbush said.
“Do you have any regrets?” Thomas asked Wimbush.
“I regret confining Recardo to the basement. I regret that we didn't get Isaiah medical treatment,” Wimbush told Thomas.
The other son is now in treatment for skin cancer.
After the verdict, the judge ruled the Wimbushes cannot see the two sons they abused until the kids are adults.
A juvenile court judge has ruled the couple cannot communicate with the other kids either.
Wimbush hopes that will soon change.
“Do you have hope you'll see your kids again?” Thomas asked Wimbush.
“That's my greatest hope, (that) I will see them before they are adults,” Wimbush said.
Wimbush will go before a juvenile court judge later this month, asking that the restrictions be lessened so he and his wife can at least talk to most of their children with supervision.
Cox Media Group
