Video Allegedly Depicts Texas Family Court Judge Beating Disabled Daughter

It swept the internet yesterday: it's a video of a man beating his daughter. Allegedly, that man is Judge William Adams, the Aransas County Court-at-Law Judge. And the video was uploaded by Hillary Adams, the victim. It's all a bit much. But it is what everybody is talking about....

Warning: the following video is very disturbing. I’m not a squeamish person, and I couldn’t really watch the whole thing.

It’s sweeping the internet today: it’s a video of a man beating his daughter. Allegedly, that man is Judge William Adams, the Aransas County Court-at-Law Judge.

And the video was uploaded by Hillary Adams, the victim.

It’s all a bit much. But it is what everybody is talking about today….

UPDATE (3 PM): Comments from Judge William Adams and from his ex-wife, Hallie Adams, have been added below.

First, let’s get the video out of the way. Again, I’d just take my word for it that this video depicts disturbing physical and emotional abuse, but if you need to see all the details, here you go:

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Here’s the description attached to the YouTube video:

2004: Aransas County Court-At-Law Judge William Adams took a belt to his own teenage daughter as punishment for using the internet to acquire music and games that were unavailable for legal purchase at the time. She has had ataxic cerebral palsy from birth that led her to a passion for technology, which was strictly forbidden by her father’s backwards views. The judge’s wife was emotionally abused herself and was severely manipulated into assisting the beating and should not be blamed for any content in this video. The judge’s wife has since left the marriage due to the abuse, which continues to this day, and has sincerely apologized and repented for her part and for allowing such a thing, long before this video was even revealed to exist. Judge William Adams is not fit to be anywhere near the law system if he can’t even exercise fit judgement as a parent himself. Do not allow this man to ever be re-elected again. His “judgement” is a giant farce. Signed, Hillary Adams, his daughter.

The daughter also wrote about this on Reddit:

It’s definitely me. 🙂 I was holding onto the video until the right time, and after a barrage of harassment from my father over the phone, I snapped and finally uploaded it. Now I’m sorry I didn’t do it sooner.

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Gawker was able to talk to another person who contends that the man in the video is Judge Adams:

“I know in the article you say you cannot confirm the man in the video is him, but I can. It’s him,” Hillary’s friend J. Andre Bardin tells us. “That’s his voice, that’s his mannerisms, and that is his house.” Between Bardin’s confirmation and the photograph we see no reason to doubt that the man in the video is Hillary’s father, Judge William Adams, and have updated the post accordingly.

One would expect an investigation into Judge Adams to commence immediately. Here’s the note on the Aransas County Court website:

Judge Burt Mills has today announced that Aransas County is aware of the video posted on YouTube regarding County Court-at-Law Judge William Adams, and the matter is now under review by the Police Department. Please refrain from communication with County offices or the Sheriff’s Department on this matter until the review has been completed. Calls, emails, and faxes only create disruptions for other ongoing county business. The public’s cooperation would be most appreciated.

Let’s just hope the police and everybody else take their time and investigate this situation thoroughly. The video is so upsetting, but it’s going to take more than a YouTube clip to dispense justice.

UPDATE (3 PM): Here is comment from Judge Adams, via KZTV:

Aransas County Court at Law Judge William Adams has spoken to our Andy Liscano about a video the judge’s daughter posted on Youtube showing a beating in 2004. Judge Adams told us, “It happened years ago.. I apologized.”

When asked if he thought the conduct in the video was excessive, Judge Adams said, “It’s not as bad as it looks on tape.”

Judge Adams also informed us he has already contacted the Judicial Review in Austin and “more will come out” during the investigation.

Judge Adams’s ex-wife, Hallie Adams, said this in a statement:

I am praying for my daughters and me and my family to heal in all ways from emotional and physical abuse, for the current and continuing abuse of my children and me that has been ongoing to end — starting now — for my daughters to both finally be able to go to counseling both individually and as a family group with their Dad’s approval, encouragement, involvement and support, for him to finally make amends to all of us, talk openly with us, and take the first steps to letting our broken family heal.

It’s a most unfortunate situation. Good luck to the Adams family as they go through this process.

Judge’s Videotaped Beating Daughter [KZTV10.com]
Texas Judge Beats Disabled Daughter on Video [Gawker]
Family law judge beats own daughter for using the internet, please spread [Reddit]