Teen dies after drinking lesson with parents

A couple in Wyoming in the United States have been charged with involuntary manslaughter after they tried to teach the woman's 16-year-old son on the dangers of drinking.

The couple claimed teenager Kendal Ball had wanted to try drinking since three years ago. 

The boy's mother, Paulette L. Richardson and stepfather, Joseph M. Richardson, told the authorities that Balls' biological father was an alcoholic and they were worried the teen would follow in his footsteps.

They only wanted to 'teach him (Ball) a lesson' by giving just enough to get him (Ball) sick.

The drinking allegedly began around 8.30pm on July 6 and went on for two hours.

When his mother checked on him in bed at around 11pm, he was still alive.

However, when Richardson went to his room at about 3.45am, he was already unresponsive and the stepfather immediately called for the ambulance.

When Uinta County Sheriff's deputy arrived at their home in Wyoming, he found "(Ball's) lips and eyelids were dark blue" and "a large amount of dark thick fluid pooled on the floor from his floor".

16-year-old Kendal Ball had expressed a desire to drink for the past 3 years.  PHOTO: FACEBOOK

An autopsy revealed the boy's blood-alcohol level was 0.587 per cent — more than seven times the legal limit for drivers.

Attorney Loretta Gerrard told Uinta Country Herald that trying to teach such lessons can be dangerous.

"What I hope people understand, however, is that some traditional parenting love, wives tales or theories don't apply in an age where we have refined products that accelerate the effect of chemicals on the human body."

The couple face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

Prosecutors are still deciding on whether to charge a friend who was also at the house at the time.

Sources: CBS News, Uinta County Herald