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A Pennsylvania woman was found guilty of first- and third-degree murder in the killing of a 12-year-old child who was malnourished and abused before his death over two years ago, according to officials.
Maxwell Schollenberger's tortured remains was discovered dead in a dark, locked room on the second floor of an Annville Township home two years ago, and a second individual has been convicted of murder in his killing.
Dad's Girlfriend Convicted to a 12-Year-Old Son's Death
According to Penn Live, Kimberly Maurer, 37, of Annville Township, who was engaged to Maxwell's father, will be sentenced in June 1 for criminal murder and child endangerment.
Criminal murder has a mandatory minimum punishment of life in prison in Pennsylvania. Scott Schollenberger, the boy's father, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of release in February after pleading guilty to criminal murder.
Early in the trial, police stated that they discovered Maxwell's naked body, famished and covered in his own excrement in his bedroom - an empty room devoid of light, furniture, and personal belongings.
The Lebanon Daily News reported that jurors debated for less than an hour Tuesday before convicting Kimberly Maurer, 37, of all counts, including child endangerment, involuntary manslaughter, and criminal conspiracy in the murder of 12-year-old Maxwell Schollenberger in May 2020.
When her sentence was handed down on June 1, defense counsel Andrew Race said his client would be condemned to a mandatory life sentence without the chance of parole. The boy's nude, excrement-covered body was discovered on a filthy bed in a room caked with feces and urine, according to Lebanon County police.
The cause of death was linked to protracted famine, malnutrition, and blunt force trauma, according to authorities. He had a shattered eye socket and several indicators of blunt force trauma.
Pennsylvania Boy Kept in Dark Room, Starved for Years Before Death
Authorities charged Scott Schollenberger Jr., 43, and his fiancée, Maurer, of keeping the boy in a dark room for years, starving him, and abusing him while their other children were treated nicely. Officials stated the boy's room had no lighting and that the drapes were fastened with duct tape while metal hooks kept the room sealed from the outside.
Scott Schollenberger pled guilty to charges of criminal murder, child endangerment, and conspiracy last month, just days before his planned trial date. He was given a life sentence without the chance of parole.
Witnesses testified in Maurer's trial that she neglected to enroll the 12-year-old in school for years, provide him with necessary medical care, and treat him for probable physical and psychological problems, according to the newspaper.
The boy's father, according to Maurer's counsel, organized the torture and murder. According to the newspaper, Race said that she may face charges of endangerment but not more serious charges since the boy's father would not allow anyone else to make decisions for his son.
Per CBS Local, Race expressed disappointment with the conviction on Wednesday, but he said it was "a challenging, terrible case for any jury to examine." Prosecutors claimed Maurer described an inability to manage Max's conduct in social media postings and text messages, as well as incidents of Max urinating and defecating in the family's house. According to District Attorney Pier Hess Graf, the trial "showed jurors what absolute evil personified looks like."
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