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Parents sentenced in death of 6-year-old boy found weighing 17 pounds

Authorities say the couple used starvation as a form of punishment and withheld food on a regular basis.
Credit: CBS News

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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