Couple sentenced for shooting children with pellet guns and allowing son to molest half-sister

CATOOSA COUNTY, Ga. (TCN) -- A couple will spend two decades in prison for withholding food from their daughter, punishing their children by shooting them with airsoft pellet guns, and allowing their son to molest his half-sister.

The Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office announced April 21 that a jury found the couple guilty of two counts of first-degree cruelty to children and two counts of second-degree cruelty to children. The defendants were each sentenced to 20 years in prison. Prosecutors did not disclose their names to protect the victims.

According to the district attorney’s office, the defendants were first charged in December 2023 following an investigation by the Catoosa County Sheriff’s Office, the Catoosa County Division of Family and Children Services, and Catoosa County Codes Enforcement.

The couple lived in a mobile home with their teenage children, but the residence didn’t have proper heat. There was no hot water, and the only running water was reportedly in the bathtub. Authorities described the condition of the home as "in a state of disrepair and filth," as well as "unlivable." The father reportedly worked as an electrician and made around $1,100 to $1,800 a week after taxes.

According to the district attorney’s office, the couple "repeatedly punished their teenage children by shooting them with airsoft guns" and also “restricted what their daughter could eat.” The defendants allegedly padlocked the refrigerator so the daughter couldn’t access food.

Prosecutors said the girl was molested by her older half-brother, "who bribed her to allow sexual acts in exchange for food." The parents knew about the molestation and would leave their daughter alone with the boy on a weekly basis while they went to another home they owned.

The district attorney’s office announced that the half-brother received a sentence of life with 25 years to serve.

District Attorney Clayton Fuller said, "Parents should be the first in line to protect children, but if they fail, we will step into that breach of our most basic foundations of our community. The wickedness of a parent who treats their own flesh and blood with such cruelty and neglect will be met here in northwest Georgia with the full force of justice."

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