Couple convicted after starving and restraining 11-year-old boy
Jeremiah Perkins and Jennifer Perkins have pleaded no contest to charges arising from the severe abuse and starvation of Jeremiah’s 11-year-old son. Prosecutors said the deal would spare the child from having to testify and relive his trauma; the pleas count as convictions for sentencing.
The boy lost 11 pounds, or 13 per cent of his body weight, over five months and was diagnosed with severe malnutrition. Court documents say he was given small portions of rice and vegetables and ate toothpaste and Tums when hungry; the couple also restrained him and locked him in a dog kennel. They face up to 15 years in prison and are due to be sentenced on 17 November.
- The boy lost 13 per cent of his body weight.
- His parents pleaded no contest to reduced charges.
- Sentencing is scheduled for 17 November.
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Jeremiah Perkins and his partner Jennifer Perkins subjected an 11-year-old boy to severe abuse and starvation over five months. They restricted the child's food and restrained him, causing serious physical harm. The boy is Jeremiah Perkins's biological son.
The child suffered significant weight loss and severe malnutrition. Cases involving deliberate harm to children are prosecuted as serious criminal offences because they concern the protection of vulnerable young people. The case demonstrates the legal system's role in addressing child abuse within families.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “Wicked stepmother and husband convicted of torturing child who was starved so badly he resorted to eating toothpaste”.