Kansas woman gets life term in 7-year-old stepson's death

(AP) — A Kansas woman who was sentenced Monday to life in prison in the killing of her 7-year-old stepson offered a tearful apology in court, saying she felt helpless to protect him or herself from her abusive husband, who is due to stand trial next year.

The district attorney, Jerome Gorman, has declined to confirm media reports that the boy's remains had been fed to the pigs, but he said the crime scene was "one of the worst things" investigators had ever seen.

During Monday's hearing, Jones claimed she had no one to ask for help to escape abuse from her husband and Adrian's father, Michael Jones, who has pleaded not guilty to premeditated first-degree murder and other charges in the boy's death.

Sheryl Lidtke, the chief deputy district attorney, described Adrian on Monday as an active and curious boy who was full of life before his father and stepmother subjected him to physical, emotional and mental abuse and starved him to death.