A 36-year-old man and his 45-year-old wife from Delaware have confessed to a series of horrifying crimes involving the torture and abuse of their two children over a nearly two-year period. Mary Vinson and Charles Vinson now face the prospect of more than 500 years in prison after pleading guilty to over 50 felony charges related to the cruel mistreatment of the children. One child endured abuse from ages 11 to 13, while the other suffered from ages 10 to 11.
Mary Vinson, the stepmother of the boys, admitted to 42 felonies, including six counts of first-degree child abuse, two counts of kidnapping, four counts of strangulation, and two counts of conspiracy, among other charges. Charles Vinson, the biological father, pleaded guilty to 12 felonies, including three counts of first-degree child abuse, two counts of kidnapping, two counts of intimidation, and one count of second-degree assault.
Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings expressed her distress over the case, saying, "These are the cases that keep us up at night. The pain these children endured, inflicted by those who should have protected them, is unimaginable. Thanks to the efforts of our prosecutors and our law enforcement partners, these abusers will be incarcerated for years to come. Their victims are safe now, but I also know they face a long road to healing. They are in all of our hearts today."
The sentencing for the husband and wife is scheduled for January in Kent County Superior Court. Mary Vinson faces a potential sentence of 30 to 444 years in prison, while her husband could be sentenced to 10 to 158 years.
According to a press release from the Attorney General's office, the Vinsons subjected the two children to heartless abuse in their Houston-area home over a span of 20 months, located about 65 miles south of Wilmington, Delaware. Prosecutors previously described their actions as "serial child abuse and torture."
The abuse involved forcing the children to stand for extended periods, depriving them of food, force-feeding, and physical assaults. The parents frequently punched and kicked the children in the face, sometimes making one of the boys witness the abuse of their sibling, with many of these attacks captured on video.
Both children were hospitalized multiple times over the past two years due to the severity of the abuse, much of which was recorded by cameras installed in the children's rooms by the parents.
Prosecutors noted that between March 2021 and March 2022, physical assaults by Mary and Charles Vinson led to the children being hospitalized six times. In April 2021, both children were hospitalized on the same day.
The Vinsons also provided false information about the children to medical professionals and doctors when the kids needed medical treatment and lied to investigators looking into allegations of abuse against them.
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