Amish hair-cutting attacks trial gets under way

CLEVELAND - Opening statements lasted all day Tuesday in the trial of 16 Amish men and women in federal court in Cleveland.

U.S. Assistant Attorney Bridget Brennan delivered remarks amongst a packed courtroom.

In the Amish community, facial hair represents God in a person's life.

Prosecutors showed photos of one of the attacks where a beard was cut off because the attackers took photos of this one particular incident.

Brennan said the attacks were motivated by religious disagreements between Amish Bishops and the breakaway Bergholz group. The attacks happened between September and November 2011.

Several defense attorneys said their clients' actions were not done out of religious bias but because of a family dispute.
 

The beard-cutting attacks were all brought upon by religious disagreements.

Amish Bishop Sam Mullet started excommunicating community members who disagreed with him. Other bishops gathered and overrode Mullet's decisions and decided not to shun certain community members.

The bishops' decision angered the Mullet community.

There are 16 accused of taking part in the beard-cutting attacks, many of which were taken upon their own family members. Sam Mullet is accused of directing the attacks but not taking part in the actual incidents.

Prosecutors quoted Mullet saying "we know what we did and we know why we did it."

Most of the accused admitted to the attacks but said it was just a religious issue.

The trail resumes at 9 o'clock Wednesday morning.