Emaciated girl, 16, locked in room to DIE by grandmother after ‘campaign of abuse’
Sabrina Ray died 'after members of her foster family starved and abused her' and her brother drop-kicked her down the stairs
A 63-YEAR-OLD grandmother has been jailed for 20 years after she locked her adopted granddaughter in a room with no food or water and left her to die.
Sabrina May, 16, was a victim of extreme abuse allegedly at the hands of members of her foster family before she starved to death in her grandmother’s home in Iowa.
On the morning of her death she was vomiting and soiled herself, but rather than intervening or calling for medical help, Carla Bousman locked her in a room.
She died on May 12 from malnutrition, weighing just four stone.
Bousman pleaded guilty to neglect and cried as she was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Friday.
The court said if she had intervened on the morning of the girl’s death she could have survived.
Bousman said: “She had woke up vomiting and had soiled herself and her clothes and I just thought that she wasn’t feeling well and I gave her a shower and cleaned her all up.
“I wish I could go back to that day and change everything and do what I know was the proper thing to do. “I can’t change what was done now, but I’m very sorry and miss all my grandchildren very much."
She admitted to concealing evidence from investigators after May died.
Dallas County District Court Judge Terry Rickers said: “After hearing what you had to tell the court today, there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that the maximum sentence in this case is the only appropriate sentence.
“Grandmas are supposed to be special to their grandkids. Grandmas are supposed to spoil their grandkids.”
The girl’s adopted parents, Misty and Marc Bousman, had taken their biological son to Disney World and left Sabrina with her grandmother.
They adopted Sabrina in 2013 after her mother died of cancer and she was removed from the care of her meth-addicted father.
Rather than look after her, the couple allegedly starved her - severely restricting her access to food and water - and allowed her adopted siblings to beat her up.
They have been charged with murder, kidnapping and child endangerment and are awaiting details of their trial in jail.
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The girl’s entire foster family were allegedly involved in her abuse.
Her brother, Justin Dale Ray, 22, was jailed for 10 years in February after the court heard he had “drop-kicked” her down the stairs in the day leading up to her death.
She was reportedly left unable to walk, talk, eat or drink after the attack.
Her cousin Josie Bousman was charged with lying to police to cover up the abuse.
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