A St. George woman has been given the maximum sentence for three counts of intentional child abuse causing serious injury, a second-degree felony. Brandy K. Jaynes, 36, has been sentenced to serve one to 15 years in the Utah State Prison for each count, with all counts being served consecutively. The ruling places Jaynes in a position where she could potentially serve up to 45 years in prison if all sentences are carried out to completion.
Before sentencing her the judge called the abuse sustained by the 12-year-old boy found locked inside a homemade "torture chamber" to be "deplorable" and "appalling." He went on to tell Jaynes that she "did not act like a human" as the abuse continued and that it was "unbelievable" what she had made the boy endure.
The case sparked an international outcry after it was broken in January. Investigators reported that the 12-year-old boy was found living in a bathroom covered with feces and fitted with locks from the outside. The boy weighed only 30 pounds when discovered and was so weak his legs couldn't support his body weight. According to witness statements, the mental and physical condition of the boy, and other evidence investigators believe that he had been locked up for as many as eight years.
According to prosecutors Jaynes actively watched as her son's condition grew worse, as she had placed a live feed camera in the room to watch him suffer. On the day she was arrested the live feed from the camera was still connected to her phone.
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