Photo:Delaware Dept. of Justice via AP
Delaware Dept. of Justice via AP
A Delaware woman was sentenced to 106 years in prison for torturing her two stepsons alongside their father.
Her husband, Charles Vinson, 37, also received 49 years in prison for charges including child abuse, kidnapping, endangering the welfare of a child, act of intimidation and conspiracy.
Some of the forms of abuse the children had to endure included standing for long periods of time and being force fed or not fed at all. As a result, the children were “hospitalized several times.”
“These children went through hell,” Attorney General Kathy Jennings said in a statement. “Now they never have to worry about their abusers again.”
“Even when these cases are strong, they are not easy,” Jennings continued. “The facts are chilling. Knowing what these children experienced weighs on all of us. But knowing that they are safe now is why we do this work. I’m grateful to the prosecutors and law enforcement who rescued them from this torture.”
According to theAssociated Press, prosecutors alleged in court that the two children had been abused over the course of 20 months beginning in early 2020. The Division of Family Services eventually took custody of children in October 2021 after they were hospitalized several times for severe malnutrition.
During the sentencing hearing, Mary argued in court that she “didn’t want to hurt” the children. Per the AP, “It didn’t start out that way,” she said, adding, “I loved those boys like they were my own.”
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During the sentencing, Clarke called the crime “the most extensive and persistent evil” act he had ever seen, the AP reported. “It will be impossible for them to forget the evil done to them,” the judge said, per the outlet. “They will carry this with them for the rest of their lives.”
source: people.com
