On Monday, a Georgia couple were sentenced to 20 years in prison for locking their son in a basement and ignoring another’s cancerous tumor, WSB-TV reports. They also face 10 years of probation.
The couple was found guilty last week in a Gwinnett County courtroom. Defendants Recardo Wimbush, a former Georgia Tech football player, and Therian Wimbush represented themselves in court, and were actually acquitted on first-degree child abuse charges because the jury said the actions weren’t “malicious” under the law. Their older son, now 16, told sheriff’s deputies he was locked in a basement for “disciplinary reasons,” according to a Gwinnett Daily Post report. The jury also found that the parents neglected a younger son, who had a tumor on his body. Prosecutor Dan Mayfield called the crimes “evil” during closing arguments.
On Monday, the duo admitted wrongdoing.