An Ohio couple who tortured their five adopted sons in “dungeon”-like conditions and deprived them of food and water, among other abuses, has been sentenced after taking a plea deal.
On Friday, Dec. 27, Matthew Edmonson, 50, pleaded guilty to five counts of child endangering, and her husband, Charles Edmonson, 64, pleaded guilty to kidnapping, felonious assault and three counts of child endangering, according to The Cincinnati Enquirer and local outlet WLWT... Continue reading here ▶
For the abuse they inflicted upon the five boys — four with special needs — Matthew was given a minimum of 13 years in prison, while Charles was given a minimum of 15 years behind bars, per the Enquirer.
Prior to the plea deal, the Clermont County Prosecutor’s Office previously stated the Edmonsons — who were formally accused of child abuse in June following an investigation — faced potential sentences totaling more than 200 years, the outlet reported.
As part of the new agreement, prosecutors moved to dismiss 44 counts against Matthew and 48 counts against Charles, as well as the possibility of him receiving a life sentence.
The Edmonsons were first indicted on five counts each of child endangerment in June, and additional indictments were added in July and August after more evidence of “severe mental and physical abuse” was uncovered, including numerous videos, the Clermont County Sheriff’s Office said at the time.
Clermont County prosecuting attorney Mark J. Tekulve previously said this investigation followed a separate one into Charles, which led to him being sentenced to three years in prison for sexually assaulting another one of his adopted sons, who authorities said was an adult at the time, but was groomed from childhood, according to the Enquirer and Cincinnati outlet WCPO.
That investigation, Tekulve said, led to the discovery of footage of the parents treating their five young sons — biological brothers whom they fostered before formally adopting — “worse than prisoners of war,” according to WCPO and WLWT.
“The videos of these undernourished and naked children huddled up in a locked room in the basement, on the stone-cold basement floor like a pile of puppies trying to stay together to keep warm, are nothing short of gut-wrenching,” Tekulve said in a statement in June.
“These two are unfit to be parents, and I am grateful to those who have worked tirelessly to make sure they will not be,” he continued. “Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time and will not be the last time that my office has had to seek indictment for people like this who pretend to be ‘parents.’ ”
Tekulve’s office did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment on Sunday, Dec. 29.
Prosecutors said that the kids had previously been in and out of the hospital for bruising, bleach burns and potential internal bleeding, among other reasons, all of which their parents were able to explain away, WLWT reported. These hospital visits stemmed from the abuse and torture they suffered, which prosecutors outlined in court.
Among the “punishment” that the couple would inflict on the boys were placing them in a basement room with a metal bed, often without a mattress or blanket, depriving them of clothes and making them sleep naked on the floor, the Enquirer reported. The adoptive parents would also withhold food and water, abuse evidenced by footage of one of the children scavenging something to eat from the trash.
Footage uncovered by authorities also shows one of their kids tied to a basement bed, the outlet added. Prosecutors also said that one of the couple’s sons previously informed officials at his school that urine and feces had been rubbed in his eye as punishment.
At the time of their adoption, two of the brothers were ages 13 and 11, while a set of triplets was 8. They were removed from the Edmonsons’ home amid the investigation into their parents in February.
Their father declined to speak during his sentencing, but their mom, Matthew, gave a statement, apologizing and wishing “healing” for her sons, according to WLWT.
“Your honor, I’m here in front of you because I believe God has a purpose for me,” she said through tears. “I know it’s taken a lot of mistakes to be here, and I’m now seeing the bigger picture. I want to end the negative cycle. I want my sons to receive psychological and emotional healing. I’m truly sorry.”
The Edmonsons also have a biological son, Bailey, who was sentenced alongside his parents on Friday, receiving two years probation after pleading guilty to three misdemeanor counts of child endangering, the Enquirer reported.
He was indicted in July and previously faced two counts of felonious assault and four counts of endangering children.
The kids are now in “new living situations, where they are thriving,” Tekulve said in a statement after the couple’s sentencing on Friday, per WLWT.
“The monstrous acts they were subjected to will no longer be a barrier to their development,” the prosecuting attorney continued. “While they will likely need mental health intervention the rest of their lives, physically and emotionally, they are flourishing.”