A father has been handed a 20-year prison sentence for causing the death of his two-month-old son due to severe neglect. Kristopher Matthews, aged 40, was convicted of aggravated child abuse in August. Shocking revelations have surfaced regarding the tragic and distressing life of baby Karson, who endured significant suffering.
According to Prosecutor C.J. Robinson, the infant was born weighing 6 pounds, 2 ounces but tragically passed away two months later weighing much less, indicating prolonged starvation. Matthews confessed to law enforcement that he never fed his child, arguing he was not obligated to do so as the father.
It was disclosed that Matthews never sought medical attention for Karson after the infant was discharged from the hospital post-birth. Robinson described the images from the 2018 investigation as akin to scenes from a horror film, emphasizing the emaciated state of the child’s body.
Karson’s mother, Shirley Matthews, also faced charges of aggravated child abuse in July 2024 and received the same 20-year prison term. Robinson condemned the parents for neglecting their son’s well-being until his tragic demise, labeling it as one of the most challenging cases they’ve prosecuted.
During the sentencing, Presiding Judge Amanda Baxley addressed Kristopher Matthews directly, denouncing the case as horrific. She expressed a desire to impose a longer sentence than 20 years but cited legal limitations in effect at the time of the offense. Alabama laws have since been updated to allow for more stringent penalties in such cases.
In a separate incident, six young children, including a two-month-old, were rescued from a storage unit where they had been confined. Authorities in Milwaukee apprehended a 26-year-old woman and a 33-year-old man on charges of child abuse and neglect after the children were discovered at a StorSafe unit in the city’s northern region.
Upon entering the unit, police found the six children, aged between two months and nine years, unharmed physically. The children had not sustained any injuries during their time in confinement, as reported.
