'It's dehumanizing': Jupiter teen forced to live in garage room tells jurors about experience

WEST PALM BEACH — Seated on the witness stand Wednesday afternoon, the teen who is the focus of an aggravated child abuse trial that has drawn widespread attention described living conditions in the Jupiter home of Timothy and Tracy Ferriter.

The teen, now in the 10th grade, described frequently being locked in an 8-by-8-foot structure in the family’s garage by the teen's adoptive parents, eating dinner alone and sleeping on a single mattress as a means of discipline. The teen spoke of having to resort to a bucket at times when needing to use the bathroom.

"To me, being locked in the room, it's dehumanizing," the teen said while testifying during the second day of trial the teen's adopted father. "It's almost as bad as genocide. It's saddening to abuse a child that was just acting like a child."

Palm Beach Post investigation: A couple kept a teen locked in the garage. Their lawyer says they had no choice

Cruelty or discipline? Ferriter jury to decide

The trial before Circuit Judge Howard Coates is that of Timothy Ferriter, 48, who also faces charges of false imprisonment and child neglect. Tracy Ferriter will be tried separately. Jupiter police arrested them in February 2022, alleging the couple confined the teen to the structure within the family's Egret Landing home for hours at a time.

Investigators discovered the structure after the teen ran away from home in January 2022. Police found the teen several days later outside Independence Middle School, according to an arrest report. They visited to the child's home and asked to see their bedroom. Their search led them to the garage.

The door had a lock that only could be opened from the outside. Mounted on its ceiling was a doorbell camera, where the family could monitor the movements of whomever was inside, according to police reports. Assistant State Attorney Brianna Coakley said the child was subjected to punishments that were "humiliating, isolating and cruel."

The Palm Beach Post is not identifying the teenage accuser or an older sibling who also testified Wednesday by name or gender. Before the trial, Coates issued an order preventing the teens’ images from being displayed to the public.

'They were in such a rush': After arrests, Florida couple demolished garage room where teen lived

The child, whom the family adopted at 17 months old, has been in the care of the Florida Department of Children and Families since the Ferriters' arrests. The agency also removed the couple's three other children from the home at that time.

The teen had a history of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, and a condition known as reactive attachment disorder, Tracy Ferriter told investigators prior to her arrest. The disorder keeps children from forming bonds with their family members, and it can lead them to act out or make it difficult for children to accept love.

Timothy and Tracy Ferriter told Jupiter police that the teen lied, stole, attacked family members and threatened classmates. The room was a means to discipline the teen and protect other people in the household from harm, they said.

What that means: Jupiter parents say adopted teen locked in garage room had attachment disorder

Teen says parents 'just made a mistake' in use of garage room

The teen told jurors Wednesday that Timothy Ferriter set rules in the home and enforced punishments. The teen described a separate sleeping arrangement from siblings.

"I slept in an 8x8 room in the garage," the teen told jurors.

On cross-examination, defense attorney Prya Murad questioned the teen about the teen's behavior. Murad asked if the teen had trouble recalling good times with the Ferriters because of negative perceptions now surrounding the couple.

"I don't have a bad image of Tim or Tracy," the teen responded. "They just made a mistake. They were just acting of out of frantic surprise of my actions. I believe that they weren't trying to do any harm. I believe that people should recognize that that was a mistake and forgive them and move on."

Prior to the teen’s testimony, an older sibling testified to living conditions for the teen and the other children in the home. The sibling, who also is adopted, began testifying Tuesday and resumed Wednesday morning.

The older sibling appeared from a separate courtroom as the Ferriters looked on from the main courtroom. Jurors watched the older teen’s testimony through a video feed linking the courtrooms. The sibling testified to being able to hear physical abuse occurring against the other teen in the garage of the family’s home in Arizona, where the sibling lived for several years before returning to Palm Beach County in December 2021. The sibling testified to seeing an instance where Timothy Ferriter had pressed the other teen up against the wall.

The sibling said they were be concerned that Ferriter might cause serious harm to the other teen, based on the level of force and aggression involved.

Defense attorney Khurrim Wahid pressed the sibling on various aspects of the family’s home life, showing the sibling photographs from family events that include images of the younger teen. The sibling testified that the younger teen was allowed to attend some family events and allowed to play outside in the family’s backyard on occasion. The sibling recalled times celebrating the teen’s birthday in Arizona.

Julius Whigham II is a criminal justice and public safety reporter for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jwhigham@pbpost.com and follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @JuliusWhigham. Help support our work: Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Jupiter teen tells jurors about 'dehumanizing' life in room in garage