Stephen Bodine, the Kansasman who tortured and murdered his girlfriend’s 3-year-old sonbefore encasing the boy’s body in concrete in an attempt to hide him, will spend the rest of his life behind bars.
“Your acts were disgusting and cowardly and monstrous,” Judge Steve Ternes told Bodine during his sentencing, according to theWichita Eagle. Bodine did not respond.
In October Bodinewas convicted of first-degree murder,a spokesperson for the district attorney’s office tells PEOPLE.
Brewer’s mother, Miranda Miller, 37, testified in court against Bodine as part of a plea deal with prosecutors. (She pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, aggravated kidnapping, child abuse and aggravated child endangerment in November.)
Ternes told Bodine that Evan’s death and abuse could have been avoided had he and Miller called family or authorities.
“There are at least a dozen people in this room who would have been more than happy to receive a phone call, to appear on your porch immediately,” Ternes said, adding that instead Bodine and Miller kept the child from his family, including his biological father, in the weeks leading up to his death.
Evan Brewer was murdered onMay 19, 2017,prosecutors believe. His mother testified that Evan had been sick in the days leading up to his death and on May 19, Bodine made Evan stand against a wall for hours as punishment for not eating, theEaglereports.
When Evan collapsed, Bodine took the screaming child into the bathroom. When Bodine came out of the bathroom, he was carryingEvan’s lifeless, wet body in his arms,according to theTopeka Capital-Journal.
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Millertestified that dayslater, Bodine told her he wanted “to take care of Evan before he started to smell.”
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Four months laterthe landlord noticed a strange odor coming from a concrete structure. He contacted police, who discovered the remains that were later identified as Evan’s.
During their investigation, authorities discovered thousands of photos and videos of Evan being tortured, the affidavit states.
In one time-stamped image from a video dated March 12, Evan is shown naked on a concrete floor. His arms and hands are behind his back and what appears to be a leather belt is around his neck, according to the affidavit.
It remains unclear how Evan died because his body was badly decomposed when it was found.
Bodine’s attorney, Casey Cotton, could not be reached for comment so it was not immediately clear if he plans to appeal to appeal his sentence.
source: people.com
