MUSKEGON, Mich. (WOOD) — A former Oklahoma County resident will spend the rest of her life in prison for starving her 15-year-old son to death.
A judge on Tuesday sentenced Shanda Vander Ark to life in prison without the possibility of parole, Michigan’s mandatory sentence for first-degree murder, for the death of Timothy Ferguson.
“I’ve been trying now for this entire case to wrap my mind around how somebody could do something so horrific, not only to another human being but to their own child,” Judge Matthew Kacel said in handing down the sentence. “…You intentionally and systematically tortured this child. Let’s call it what it is: It’s torture. You tortured this child.”
Jury finds former OK woman guilty of starving teen son to death
Vander Ark was also sentenced to 50 to 100 years in prison for first-degree child abuse, with credit for 575 days served. Kacel exceeded sentencing guidelines for child abuse, saying doing so was justified because of Timothy’s “long-term suffering.”