Aaron Ramsey Sentenced to Life for Starving 10-Year-Old Son to Death
Aaron Ramsey has been sentenced to life in prison for starving his 10-year-old son, Johnathan, to death and dumping his body in a creek. It took jurors less than one hour to decide Ramey's fate.
Prosecutors argued that Johnathan was kept in his bedroom and fed a paltry diet of bread, water, and a little milk. Aaron allegedly confessed this to police as well, and was the first to be sentenced. Johnathan's stepmother, Elizabeth, is set to go on trial for her role in the boy's death as well.
Aaron maintained that Johnathan deserved to be put on "military rations" because he was out of control. He told police that Johnathan had punched Elizabeth in the stomach when she was pregnant, causing her to have a miscarriage, though there was no official proof of that allegation.
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Police visited the Ramsey family after Johnathan's grandfather, Edward, contacted them to report that he had not seen or heard from the boy for over a year. When confronted by police, Elizabeth and Aaron said that Johnathan had gone to live with his mother, Judy Williams. She had not seen her son for months but had custody of her other children with Ramsey.
Johnathan's emaciated body was found in his favorite T-shirt, wrapped in a sleeping bag and with a dryer sheet to mask the scent in a nearby ditch. Aaron led police to the exact location.
"This child was horribly murdered," Sgt. Brenda Nichols told CBS at the time. "If this in fact is Johnathan's body, he was discarded, brutally discarded. Because this child has not been at rest, we have not been at rest. This has been extremely emotional for everyone involved– the family and all the officers involved in this investigation."
Elizabeth Ramsey has also been charged with severely injuring a child and could face the same penalty as Aaron. She is due to go on trial sometime this year.
