In Michigan – A mother named V. Hamilton and her husband named S. Shelton, both 29, were found guilty in Michigan of killing a 5-year-old boy and beating his younger brother.
The trial was full of emotional testimony and strong evidence that the couple did what they did. The horrifying details of the abuse led to a quick decision against Shelton and Hamilton.
The police found out about the murder when they reacted to a distressing 911 call from the couple’s home on January 22, 2023.
There, the body of a 5-year-old boy named Ethan was discovered in such terrible conditions that they shocked even experienced police and child protection workers.
During the hearing, the prosecutors showed shocking proof that both children had been abused. Ethan had loop-shaped wounds all over his body, which showed that he had been hit with things that looked like cords.
The prosecutor, M. Makepeace, told the court that Ethan had been hurt and not getting treatment for them, including getting gangrene on one of his toes.
Investigators learned from other kids in the house that Shelton and Hamilton beat Ethan and his brother all the time. It was also said that the kids were locked in a dirty basement.
The court also heard that the conditions in the basement were terrible, with the kids being frozen and lacking simple things they needed.
Ethan’s aunt said in court that she had told Child Protective Services (CPS) about her concerns about abuse a year before Ethan’s death, but nothing was done.
She talked about old injuries, like how Ethan has more than 100 cigarette burns on his body and feet. Even though CPS was called many times over the years, the kids stayed in the dangerous home setting.
Evidence was shown to the jury during the trial that Ethan had been hit with a pipe, a belt, and a fly swatter, among other things.
The harm he received was so bad that he did not live. Child witnesses talked about the abuse, and the lawyers showed text messages in which Hamilton threatened to hurt her kids.
The text messages that Hamilton and Shelton sent to each other were especially bad. In one message, Hamilton told Shelton that she was afraid she would kill the kids if she kept beating them, saying, “LEGIT KILL THEM.”
She said she “beat the dog s— out of them” in another text. As a punishment, Hamilton poured cold water on Ethan and his younger brother while they were locked in the freezing basement, according to more texts. Ethan was told he could never come up from the basement again.
Both Hamilton and Shelton could now spend the rest of their lives in jail. The charges are very serious, so it is likely that they will spend the rest of their lives in prison.
Ethan’s extended family was angry at the system because they said that the children were kept in an abusive setting even though multiple reports were made to CPS over the years.
The case raises serious worries about the safety of children and how well protective services work to help.