A Kansas stepmother pleaded guilty to the charges against her regarding the death of her seven-year-old stepson. She has been sentenced to life in prison for taking part in the death of the boy and for feeding his remains to the pigs.
The woman has to serve at least 25 years in prison before she would be eligible for parole. She was identified as 30-year-old Heather Jones and her husband was identified as Michael A. Jones, 45. Heather was charged with first-degree murder and she pleaded guilty in October. The sentence was handed down on Monday.
Aside from the time to be spent in prison, an additional five-year and eight months sentence was given for two child abuse charges against the seven-year-old boy. By 2041, Heather could apply for parole. During the sentencing, Heather was emotional and said that she felt helpless to protect her stepson or even herself from her abusive husband.
The boy's, Adrian Jones, remains were discovered by authorities last year. They responded to a domestic dispute call at the family's home. Adrian is believed to have died sometime from September 18 to October 5, FOX 8 reported. Accordingly, Adrian was subjected to physical, emotional and mental abuse. He was basically starved to death.
Sheryl Lidtke, the chief deputy district attorney, said in a statement that Adrian was once and active and a happy boy. She noted that the death of Adrian and his remains being fed to pigs is the most heinous crime she has seen in her 27 years of service. She noted, "He was horribly abused, neglected and ultimately killed. I'm sure his suffering was unbearable."
Six more children were found in the property. The ages ranged from two to 10 years old and they reportedly lived in deplorable conditions.
Meanwhile, the said children are now in state custody. Michael, on the other hand, is set to be tried by February next year, International Business Times noted.
