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David Pelzer was born on December 29th, 1960. He was born in the state of California.

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David's mother soon began to change drastically in her behavior. She started to get more aggressive with the kids as her punishments were getting more cruel. She started to beat Dave and accidentally popped it out of place. She soon made him sleep in the top bed waking him in the middle of the night to take him to the hospital and claiming he fell from the bed.

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David is one day forced to put his arms and body over the kitchen stove. He is in so much excruciating pain, but figures out that if he can stall his mother more, she will give up when David's older brothers come home. He continues this method throughout his abuse.

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During this summer, David's mom becomes even more violent. It is harder to get food, steal food, more punishments/tortures occur as well. He soon realizes that he misses school, and that it might be his only escape ever.

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David goes back to school finally. But his mother makes him wear his dirty clothes to school, still gets the same 2 peanut butter sandwiches and carrot sticks meal, and it is a huge embarrassment. The bruises on his face are fully exposed, and he makes up excuses to say how they happened.

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David's mom soon started to play a little game with him, by starving him constantly for days at a time. This was David's mom favorite game/torture she enjoys to do. David was also weak and skinny, caused by his mother's games. His mother often let him just eat the leftover cereal left in his brothers breakfast bowls.

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David continues to starve, and has entered the second grade. His mother is pregnant with a fourth child, and the fighting between his parents only just begins. They fight constantly at night, mostly over the treatment of David and his brothers.

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David is exiled from the family by his mother. She doesn't even call him by his name anymore, only by "the boy". He returns to school with no new clothes, and luckily recieves a lunch on most days.

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The family vacations one last time at the Russian River by Johnson's Beach. David is abused by his mother still on this trip, and he doesn't have very much fun anymore at the Russian River. He feels like his family is falling apart.

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From the years 1968 to about 1971, David's abuse is continued more and more frequently. He tries stealing from other childrens lunches because of his hunger, and is only punished more severly. When David's father is away, the abuse is much greater and severe. He tries to get his father to help him, but he never offers much help. David is very lost without his father, and sleeps in the basement all alone.

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April 9, 1970 Mother's Stabbing Accident

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April 9, 1970 Mother's Stabbing Accident

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David's mom becomes very drunk, and while in her rage she stabs David accidentally. The wound is not taken care of properly, and it becomes infected soon. David tells his father, who just tells him to keep doing all the chores that his mother insists he should do. David then had to clean the wound up himself which hurt a lot, but he was able to do it! What he just did made him very proud and he slept with a nice dream that night.

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David's mother has always played little "games" with him. She invents a new one called The Gas Chamber. She dumps lots of chemicals into a bucket, and while they are reacting she puts them in a bathroom with David. He cannot breathe during these periods of time, and nearly dies on several occations. This was one of the worst punishments for Dave.

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David's mother's games continue. He is forced to do everything for his drunken mom, and then the unthinkable happens. Soon after a fifth child is born, David's father leaves them for good. David is left with his mother in the home, and begins to lose hope of ever escaping the household.

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March 5, 1973 THE HELL HAS BEEN EXTINGUISHED!

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March 5, 1973 THE HELL HAS BEEN EXTINGUISHED!

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David Pelzer was saved from child abuse by his school teachers and principal on March 5th, 1973. He was sent to Juvenile with the policeman. The police asked for David's mother's phone number and called her to tell her what happened. They then leave and the policeman tells David he is free!