A civil lawsuit was filed January 5, accusing the Indiana Department of Child Services of placing 4-year-old, Judah Morgan, in harm's way before his brutal murder in rural Hamlet on October of 2021.
The suit targets Alan Morgan, the La Porte County man convicted in the death.
The complaint was filed by Jenna Hullett, personal representative for Judah's estate, who is represented in the legal action by Mishawaka-based attorney Charles Rice. Hullett raised Judah for the first three years of his life, after he was placed in her home with a kinship placement shortly after his birth. The suit accuses Indiana DCS of failing to protect Judah, after he was removed from the Hullett home and placed in what was supposed to be a six month home trial with his biological parents in April of 2021. That was two months before his fourth birthday.
The suit claims that as a result of the 'reckless, careless, negligent and wrongful acts and omissions of other persons and the intentional acts of Alan Morgan, Judah was beaten, tortured and eventually murdered on October 11, 2021'. It also seeks judgement against Alan Morgan, requesting an unspecified amount of money for hardships, including attorney fees.
Alan Morgan was recently sentenced in late November to 70 years in prison, after he pled guilty to murder, an amended felony battery charge and a felony count of resisting law enforcement. During his sentencing hearing, the forensic pathologist who did Judah's autopsy stated it was the worst case of blunt force trauma on a child he'd ever seen in his 28-year career. Video footage that was captured from inside the family's home detailed the horror of some of the abuse Judah underwent at the hands of Alan. One instance included Judah being punched in the stomach more than a dozen times as Alan straggled him at eye level before dropping him to the ground.
The criminal case is still pending against Judah's mother, Mary Yoder, 27. Yoder was charged with a Level 1 felony neglect of a dependent resulting in death, Level 5 felony neglect of a dependent involving cruel confinement, Level 5 felony domestic battery, and two more additional counts of Level 6 felony neglect of a dependent.
Despite Judah having never lived with his parents prior to April 2021 due to Judah being born with drugs in his system, along with abuse allegations that were substantiated against his older sibling in 2017, Indiana DCS closed Judah's case only two months after the six month home trial had begun with his biological parents.
The complaint states DCS is the agency responsible for the safety and well being of Hoosier children who come in contact with the state's child welfare system.
