A Detroit couple was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on Friday after being convicted of torturing and murdering their 5-year-old son, Ethan, and injuring their 3-year-old son, now 4, according to prosecutors.
Shane Robert Shelton, 29, and Valerie Lynn Hamilton, 29, were charged with felony murder and other charges. According to a news release, prosecutors say it happened at their home on Spring Garden Street in Detroit.
According to court documents, the young boy was reportedly beaten with a broken fly swatter, a kitchen pipe, and a wire. His small body was also covered in over 100 cigarette burns, family members said.
Both Ethan and his young brother suffered from frostbitten toes. The children were allegedly locked in a basement filled with feces and sewage for extended periods, according to court testimony.
Hamilton, Ethan’s biological mother, and Shelton, his stepfather, were both convicted in September. They were sentenced last Friday to life without the possibility of parole. Ethan’s younger brother is now in the care of other relatives.
