A 35-year-old father in Texas will spend decades behind bars for killing his 12-year-old son, subjecting him to torturous punishments that included being forced to spend hours holding 50-pound boxes, being scalded with boiling water, and forced to endure to ruthless beatings that ultimately led to the boy's death.
437th District Court Judge Joel Perez on Monday ordered Derrick Coles to serve 45 years in a state correctional facility for the slaying of young Danilo Coles.
The judge handed down the sentence after a jury in August found Coles guilty on multiple felony charges, including four counts of first-degree injury to a child resulting in serious bodily injury.
Coles' then-wife, Kapri Cheatom, was also arrested over Danilo's death and charged with injury to a child resulting in serio