Kentucky couple sentenced for criminal abuse after withholding food from child who tried to suck water from the walls

PIKEVILLE, Ky. (TCN) -- A couple was sentenced April 23 to 20 years behind bars for the criminal child abuse of three children under their care.

After her sister died in a car accident in 2018, Mary Hall, 44, became the guardian of her three children, whose names and ages have not been released, WYMT reports. According to the Pike County Commonwealth’s Attorney, Bill Slone, the children’s father had been convicted of manslaughter and was serving prison time when their mother was in the crash. Slone said, “Not only did they lose their mother, they also lost their father.”

In 2023, Hall and her co-defendant, Jerome Norman, also 44, entered into a relationship. Staff members at the children’s elementary school then noticed that the children would come to school hungry and with mysterious bruises, according to WYMT. When one of the children returned after an extended school closure following a storm in 2025 with a chipped tooth and signs of malnourishment, school staff contacted the authorities. Slone said the child “was practically starved to death for five weeks.”

An investigation into the children’s living situation determined that they lived in a boarded-up room that was locked from the outside. They were also forced to do manual labor as punishment. Investigators learned that one child received the majority of the abuse, including having food withheld. WYMT reports that the child would suck on the insulation in the walls to try and obtain water. The child was reportedly punished by not being allowed to attend field trips or events with peers where cake and pizza would be present.

Amber Hunt, who was appointed the children’s guardian ad litem, spoke at Hall and Norman’s sentencings and further detailed the treatment of the children, according to Appalachian News-Express. The youngest victim said Hall would reportedly stand in front of them and eat candy bars at the same time as withholding food; the oldest child was given baby rice with water to eat. 

Olivia Dotson of the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services said all the children have PTSD, developmental delays, and eating disorders. She said the oldest victim spent 2 1/2 months in the hospital recovering from his mistreatment. 

Hall and Norman were indicted in March 2025 on three counts of first-degree criminal abuse and entered a blind Alford plea on March 19, 2026. They remained behind bars while awaiting trial. As part of their agreement, two of the counts were amended to second-degree. Per Appalachian News Express, they will have to serve 85 percent of their sentence before being eligible for parole.

Norman’s defense attorney, Jeff Lovely, recommended to his client that he enter the blind Alford plea because “Mr. Norman would not benefit from going to trial on this matter. … Anytime children are involved, it is always hard. Emotions have to be taken into play when you consider this case. I ask that the court sift through the emotion when sentencing Mr. Norman.”

According to a social worker, the three children will be separated and cannot be housed together due to their mental states, WMYT reports.

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