Man, Those Evil Spirits Do Get Around

"Determined to drive the evil spirits out of her daughter, a Queens mom performed a bizarre voodoo fire ritual that left the 6-year-old girl scarred for life, prosecutors say.

Frantzcia Saintil was 'engulfed in flames,' but Marie Lauradin was deaf to her daughter's screams as she let the girl burn, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown charged Thursday.

Eventually, Frantzcia's grandmother doused the flames with frigid water, but instead of getting the girl help they put her to bed, Brown said.

Frantzcia remained there for a day before another relative begged them to take the little girl to the hospital, Brown said.

When doctors finally saw her, Frantzcia had second- and third-degree burns covering 25% of her body, including her face, torso and legs, court papers state.

Lauradin, 29, a Haitian immigrant, was charged in Queens criminal court with assault and endangering the welfare of a child. She faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted.

...Frantzcia was at her home in Queens Village when her mother began performing a ritual that Brown called 'Loa.'

The Loa are actually spirits in the Voodoo religion who, like Christian saints, serve as intermediaries between God and mankind, according to various Web sites.

Lauradin sprayed a circle of rum on the floor around her daughter and ignited it, police said. Then she poured some of it on the girl's head - and pushed her into the flaming circle.

Confronted by cops, Lauradin initially claimed she was boiling rice in a pot when the girl 'startled' her, causing her to spill the scalding water on her, Brown said.

Lauradin also said it was her mom's idea to give Frantzcia a bath and put her to bed instead of taking her immediately to the hospital. She claimed she didn't even notice the girl was burned until they got to the emergency room.

Brown said they learned the truth after Frantzcia told her foster caregiver what really happened."

-- Nicole Bode and Corky Siemaszko, with another sad, yet powerful tale of common belief - This could happen to anybody! - splattered in The New York Daily News.