Prison Term For Mother Who Starved Son

CORTLAND, N.Y. (AP) A woman convicted of starving her handicapped son has been sentenced to 15 years in prison.<br/><br/>The five-year-old boy, who has Down Syndrome, weighed just 15 pounds when he was

Tuesday, February 20th 2007, 10:25 pm

By: News On 6

CORTLAND, N.Y. (AP) A woman convicted of starving her handicapped son has been sentenced to 15 years in prison.

The five-year-old boy, who has Down Syndrome, weighed just 15 pounds when he was found last March in a playpen infested with cockroaches and lice. A typical five-year-old should weigh 40 pounds.

Judy Gratton of Cortland, New York, was found guilty of assault and other offenses. Doctors testified that her son was starved for several months, and was near death.

Gratton also faced two child endangering charges involving her older children, a 12-year-old girl and 13-year-old boy. They were also malnourished.