Man gets life in horrific killing of 7-year-old son whose body was fed to pigs

NEW YORK (FOX5NY) - A Kansas man who admitted he killed his 7-year-old son and allegedly fed the boy’s emaciated body to pigs has been sentenced to life in prison

Michael Jones, 46, pleaded guilty in March to first-degree murder in the 2015 death of Adrian Jones. His sentence, issued Monday in a Kansas City court, gives him the possibility of parole after 25 years.

Court documents said Adrian died sometime in September or October 2015, but his death was not reported to authorities.

When the charges were filed, former Wyandotte County District Attorney Jerry Gorman said it was one the worst cases seen by Kansas City, Kansas, police detectives. He declined to discuss reports that the child's remains were fed to pigs, but said they were found near swine on the family's property.

Adrian's stepmother, Heather Jones, was sentenced in November to life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years for the murder conviction. She received an additional sentence of five years and eight months in prison for child abuse. The 31-year-old said she felt helpless to protect the child or herself from her abusive husband.

Gruesome photos and video later found on her computer showed the child being struck by a broomstick and being forced to stand in chin-high filthy water in the family’s pool. Other images included shots of Adrian’s emaciated frame and pictures of him being forced to stand outside with his hands cuffed behind his back in frigid temperatures wearing little clothing.

Sheryl Lidtke, who is no longer with the district attorney's office, said that Adrian had been physically and emotionally abused, confined and "essentially starved to death."

"He was horribly abused, neglected and ultimately killed," Lidtke said at Heather Jones' sentencing. "I'm sure his suffering was unbearable."