Atlanta couple who locked up son in basement after stealing DVD player ask to be released


A suburban Atlanta couple accused of locking their son in a basement for months at a time are asking to be released from jail and to be given $600,000 per day for each day they've been behind bars.

Therian, 39, and Recardo Wimbush, 35, sent a joint 'plea offer' to Gwinnett County prosecutors, asking that their charges be dropped and for the county to give them what amounts to more than $540 million in 'restitutionary redress' according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The couple say they've been falsely imprisoned since their 2014 arrest after being accused of locking their oldest child in a basement bedroom for as long as two years.

Recardo Wimbush Sr Therian Wimbush

Strict: Recardo Wimbush Sr (left) and Therian Wimbush (right) have been held without bond since June 2014 after turning themselves in to face multiple charges for imprisoning their son

Recardo, a devotee of a religion dedicated to Yah, was arrested with his wife in the summer of 2014. He was found guilty of also not providing care to another son who had malignant cancer

Recardo Wimbush, Sr, a devotee of a religion dedicated to Yah, allegedly locked his son, 13, in the basement of the family home for two years. Now he has spent just as long behind bars

The parents were each charged with false imprisonment and cruelty to children, and were being held without bail.

Two years on from their arrest, both still face multiple child-cruelty charges. The Wimbushes are serving as their own attorneys and have a hearing scheduled for Friday.

The super-religious former college football star and his wife turned themselves in during the summer of 2014.

They were initially facing charges they kept their eldest son prisoner in the basement for two years because he had 'sinned' by stealing a DVD player.   

Wimbush and his wife Therian Wimbush (pictured) had their 10 children taken into care after their arrest. They have been in jail and held without bail since June 2014

Wimbush and his wife Therian Wimbush (pictured) have been charged with child abuse and their 10 children taken into care. They have been in jail since June 2014

The former Georgia Tech standout and his wife, Therian, were so angry with the boy's actions that he was banned from having any contact with his nine younger siblings.

He was also barred from reading books or having toys while locked up in the tiny, sparsely furnished room with all the windows blacked out. 

The couple – both devoted to an unusual religion which worships Yah - told investigators they had locked Recardo Jr in the basement for 'disciplinary reasons,' said Corporal Jake Smith, spokesman for Gwinnett Police.

'The victim had been confined to the room for most of the past two years and a lock had been added to the victim's room in January 2013,' Smith said.

Recardo Wimbush and Therian Wimbush in 2005 mug shots. The parents had previously been arrested in 2005 on simple battery charges, according to Gwinnett County Detention Center records. Recardo Wimbush and Therian Wimbush in 2005 mug shots. The parents had previously been arrested in 2005 on simple battery charges, according to Gwinnett County Detention Center records.

Recardo Wimbush (left) and Therian Wimbush in 2005 mug shots. The parents had previously been arrested in 2005 on simple battery charges, according to Gwinnett County records

Recardo Wimbush wearing the number 42 shirt for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

Recardo Wimbush wearing the number 42 shirt for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

'The victim had no access to books, toys, entertainment devices, or his siblings.'

Social workers discovered the boy was being confined to a small room that contained a bare box springs and mattress and 'a large plastic jar, which was apparently used as a toilet,' Smith said. 

At their hearing in June 2014, the Wimbushes told a judge in family court that the 13-year-old was a threat to their other children.

But according to sources the child claims he was being punished for stealing a DVD player that wasn't his.

The arrest warrant said the child was 'sent to the basement of the family house for the past two years in deplorable conditions due to being disobedient.'

The family lived in a large home in Buford, north of Atlanta, Georgia.

Strict: The Wimbush children (Recardo Jr pictured center back) were home-schooled and their parents were known to be disciplinarians

Strict: The Wimbush children (Recardo Jr pictured center back) were home-schooled and their parents were known to be disciplinarians

Harsh punishment: Recardo Wimbush with son Recardo Wimbush, Jr as a baby, who was allegedly kept in a basement with no light and nothing to occupy his mind for two years

Harsh punishment: Recardo Wimbush with son Recardo Wimbush, Jr as a baby, who was allegedly kept in a basement with no light and nothing to occupy his mind for two years


There was a slide and child's swings in the back yard but neighbors said the children were held to a strict regime.

Speaking in 2014, Neighbor Pam Harris, 48, says the family moved in around 13 years ago.

She said they were strict disciplinarians who rarely allowed the children to talk to 'strangers'.

'They were a very odd family, they had ten children who were all home schooled and nicely dressed but weren't allowed to be sociable.

'You would never see the children playing outside on their own or in twos or threes, they would only ever go outside all together as a family with the parents watching.

'They seemed very strict disciplinarians. They didn't believe in Christmas and didn't celebrate Halloween.

'If children in the neighborhood knocked on their door for trick or treat the parents would hand out bibles instead of candy.'

Mrs Harris said the children were home-schooled.

She also said the family often displayed religious messages and posters on their front door.

She said: 'Once they had a notice on their door that blew in to my yard. It said those who work on Sunday should be put to death.

'It's so sad that that little boy was kept in the basement, we heard he had sinned and stolen a DVD player, but they told police it was something worse. That poor boy.'  

Family website: The site contains family pictures and statements about their religious beliefs

Family website: The site contains family pictures and statements about their religious beliefs

Sporting career: Wimbush attended Georgia Tech where he was a star football player

Sporting career: Wimbush attended Georgia Tech where he was a star football player

Full of secrets: The family moved into this home 13 years ago and neighbors say the children were never allowed to play outside unless under the watchful eyes of their parents

Full of secrets: The family moved into this home 13 years ago and neighbors say the children were never allowed to play outside unless under the watchful eyes of their parents

Recardo Jr was one of three children the couple had while at Georgia Tech where Wimbush was a linebacker captain of the football team during his 2002 senior season.

Therian was a tutor when they met before she was graduated with duel degrees from Tech and Spelman College in 2000.

Recardo was described as a diaper-changing dad who got furloughed from team duties to be with his family.

'I knew I always wanted kids,' he then told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. 'They bring a bright spot to your heart, and they have with me.'

According to the Atlanta Journal the charges shocked Wimbush's former teammate Jeremy Muyres - who was a co-captain with Wimbush on the 2002 team.

'The one thing I do know is Recardo's one of the best guys I've ever been around,' said Muyres, a teacher and football coach at Norcross High School.

Overzealous: The family often posted religious messages and posters on their front door, one of which stated that people who work on Sundays should be put to death

Overzealous: The family often posted religious messages and posters on their front door, one of which stated that people who work on Sundays should be put to death

Rescued: Recardo Wimbush, Sr, with son Recardo Wimbush, Jr (bottom front) and two of his other children

Rescued: Recardo Wimbush, Sr, with son Recardo Wimbush, Jr (bottom front) and two of his other children

Broken family: Therian Wimbush, with one of the couple's many children, has been charged with child abuse after a tip-off to police

Broken family: Therian Wimbush, with one of the couple's many children, has been charged with child abuse after a tip-off to police

The warrants arose out of an investigation by the Department of Family and Children Services following an anonymous tip.

The boy was in good health, as were his nine siblings, and there were no other signs of abuse.  

Detectives found that the boy was fed at normal meal times and that the room was kept clean; the parents had added a sheet to the make-shift bed since the visit by the social workers, Smith said.

But detectives don't believe the boy was being schooled - none of the children attended public school - and was only occasionally let out to use the bathroom, Smith said.

The room was dark, with no light bulb in its fixture and the 'single window was painted white which let in a small amount of light during daylight hours,' Smith said.

Wimbush, who grew up in Blakely, was a Georgia Tech linebacker from 1999 to 2002 and was the team captain his senior year, the same year he was a second-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection.

According to the Atlanta Journal he was a standout athlete not only for team records, but also because he pursued his degree at the university after his athletic eligibility ended. He earned it in 2010.

Wimbush signed with the Falcons in April 2003 as an undrafted free agent but was released after training camp.

'I just remember he was always a good guy, always did the right thing,' Muyres said. 'He was a guy who would always have your back, a guy who would always be there for you, a guy you could count on. He was just that type of person.'

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