A Michigan law clerk threw up in court after she was shown gruesome photos of her emaciated, disabled son, whom she had starved to death.
Shanda Vander Ark, 44, stood trial for the murder and torture of 15-year-old Timothy Ferguson, who died in their home on July 6, 2022, weighing just 69 pounds. An autopsy revealed that he died of malnutrition and hypothermia.
Prosecutor Matt Roberts showed photos of the teen's fragile body to Vander Ark in court Thursday afternoon and she began vomiting.
She tortured Timothy, who had autism with speech and motor disabilities, by feeding him only bread covered in hot sauce, deprived him of sleep and forced him into ice baths as punishment.
Vander Ark didn't show up for trial Friday due to a “medical problem,” but a jury found her guilty of first-degree murder and child abuse in her absence. She will be sentenced on January 29 and faces life in prison.
Michigan law firm Shanda Vander Ark, 44, vomited in court after she was shown gruesome photos of her emaciated, disabled son she starved to death
She stood trial for the murder and torture of 15-year-old Timothy Ferguson, who died in their home on July 6, 2022, weighing just 69 pounds. A jury found her guilty of first-degree murder and first-degree child abuse
Vander Ark allegedly covered the house and the small closet where Timothy slept with motion sensors, alarms and live feed cameras
Vander Ark tortured him by feeding him only bread covered in hot sauce, deprived him of sleep, and forced him into ice baths as punishment.
Vander Ark took the witness stand Thursday and began hyperventilating and showing signs of a nervous breakdown.
Prosecutor Roberts handed her photos of Timothy's emaciated body and asked, “Did he look like this when you gave him a bath?”
She immediately began gagging before vomiting out of view of the jury. She then apologized to the court, asked for a moment and started crying.
The next day, Vander Ark, who has five biological children, including a nine-year-old boy, was found guilty of torturing and killing Timothy.
Timothy's older brother Paul, 20, has also been charged with first-degree child molestation but testified against their mother in court.
“I'd say it's a bit like Stockholm syndrome,” Paul said on the stand.
'I long to find a role model who, because of my own low self-esteem, would do anything to make them proud of me.
She claimed she locked the family's refrigerator, freezer and pantry because Timothy was trying to eat frozen food and uncooked meat
Vander Ark took the witness stand Thursday and began hyperventilating and showing signs of a nervous breakdown
Timothy's older brother Paul, 20, has also been charged with first-degree child abuse, but he testified against their mother in court
“That's not an excuse, I know, but I'm glad I was able to at least realize it so I could correct it.”
Vander Ark, a law clerk in Newaygo County Circuit Court, previously testified that she purchased spicy hot sauce online after Paul thought it would be a good idea to punish Timothy.
A text message exchange between the pair also revealed that she questioned whether they should drop the hot sauce on the young boy's genitals.
“I wonder what it would feel like to have that hot sauce on your genitals.” “I'm not saying you should touch it there, not at all, but a little drip there, that's terrible,” she asked.
Her attorney argued that she did not understand the harm she was causing her son and did not know he was starving.
She also claimed that she locked the family's refrigerator, freezer and pantry because Timothy was trying to eat frozen food and uncooked meat.
Vander Ark allegedly covered the house and the small closet where Timothy slept with motion sensors, alarms and live feed cameras.
Prosecutor Roberts said she tortured the child by feeding him hot sauce and punishing him with ice baths. 'She killed him. She starved him,” he said.
Hours before Timothy died, Paul is said to have placed him in an ice bath for almost nine hours.
Paul told the jury that he had abused his brother at the instruction of his mother.
