(PatriotWise.com) — The Indiana mother who pleaded guilty to felony neglect of a child in connection with the 2021 death of her 4-year-old son was sentenced to 42 years in prison last Friday, WNDU reported.
Mary Yoder, 28, was charged along with the boy’s father, Alan Morgan, with the death of Judah Morgan, who was found dead on October 11, 2021. Prosecutors said Morgan beat and tortured the child over potty training, and Yoder knew all about it.
Morgan pleaded guilty in September 2022 to multiple felony charges, including murder and battery. He was later sentenced to 70 years in prison.
Yoder pleaded guilty in August 2023 to child neglect resulting in death and one count of domestic battery on a child. The second count concerned abuse suffered by Judah’s younger sibling.
During her sentencing hearing before LaPorte County Circuit Judge Thomas Alevizos, Yoder said she missed Judah, whom she described as a “sweet boy, full of joy.” She told the court that she missed his laughter and drawings and said she wished she had done more to protect him.
Her remarks stunned Judge Alevizoz. He picked up a photo from Judah’s autopsy, showed it to Yoder, and said, “Look at him. Unbelievable.”
Judah had been placed in foster care when he was only four months old and was reunited with Yoder and Morgan at the age of four. Seven months later, Judah was dead.
Under the terms of her plea agreement, Yoder confessed to abusing her children and admitted that she failed to contact the authorities or do anything to stop the abuse Morgan inflicted on Judah.
According to WSBT, Alan Morgan frequently punished Judah by duct-taping him and leaving him naked for days in a dark basement. Morgan also tortured and beat the child during potty training.
When police arrived at the home on October 11, 2021, Judah was unresponsive and cool to the touch. The autopsy found that Judah died from blunt-force head trauma that caused bleeding on the brain.
In her interview with the police, Yoder admitted that the last time she saw her 4-year-old son was in the basement two days earlier. She said she knew Morgan was abusing the boy but was afraid of him and “could not stop him,” according to court records.
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