Two grandparents convicted of second-degree murder after they left five-year-old Jeffrey Baldwin to wither and die in a cold, fetid room were sentenced Friday to life in prison with no chance of parole for at least 20 years.
Elva Bottineau, 54, was ordered to serve 22 years in prison before becoming eligible for parole, while husband Norman Kidman, 53, will get his first chance at early release after 20 years behind bars, said Superior Court Justice David Watt.
During his sentencing, Watt told the couple they would be allowed to apply to have their sentences reduced after just 15 years, although he had few other positive words for Bottineau in particular, whom he described as ''morally bankrupt.''
Her ''self-perception . . . is at odds with reality,'' Watt said as Bottineau shook her head in apparent disagreement.
''She thirsts for control, but flees from responsibility.''
Bottineau and Kidman were supposed to save little Jeffrey and his siblings from a life of abuse at the hands of their birth parents.
Instead, the pair used the children as a source of income, collecting government support cheques in their names while confining the young ones to a dank, cold room in their house.
It's a little comfort to know that these two animals will probably die in a 'cage' where they belong. Please click on the link for the full story or visit my previous posts on the subject.
Later,
Kenaz
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