"Johnny Brashear was 22, already in the throes of alcohol addiction, and she was 19, a hardened product of Quebec's foster-care system, when she became pregnant. They moved to Bedford, Ind., about 75 miles south of Indianapolis, to be married. By the age of 24, she had given birth to three children -- Lorraine, Johnny Jr. and Donald, the baby.

"He was a beautiful child," Gauthier said. "He had an innocence about him."

Johnny drank to get drunk, building up enough tolerance so he could down a pint of Seagram's VO Canadian whiskey in three swallows. He would lose money at cards and come home angry and hungry, telling his wife to make him something to eat.

"If I rubbed my eyes to wake up, he'd grab me by the hair and pull me out of bed saying, 'I mean now!' " Gauthier said. "He'd say, 'Shut the baby up.' If Donald didn't stop crying, his dad would grab him by the arm and throw him across the room. He was 6 months old when that happened."