JERSEYVILLE, Ill. — An Illinois father and stepmother were sentenced this week after pleading guilty to the first-degree murder of their 6-year-old son, who was discovered weighing just 17 pounds when he died.
Michael L. Roberts and Georgena L. Roberts, both 43, entered their guilty pleas in November, according to WLS-TV in Chicago.
On Wednesday, Chief Circuit Judge Eric S. Pistorius gave Michael 25 years in prison and ordered 20 years for Georgena, according to The Telegraph.
Authorities said the couple used starvation as a form of punishment and withheld food on a regular basis, leading to "extreme malnourishment."
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