A Pennsylvania mother and her boyfriend are accused of laughing while they beat and tortured her 3-year-old son to death.
Jillian Tait, 31, and her 23-year-old boyfriend struck little Scott McMillan with a frying pan, tortured him with sharp objects and hung him up by his feet for more torturing before he succumbed to his injuries and died Tuesday night, Chester County investigators told WCVB.
Tait and her boyfriend, Gary Lee Fellenbaum, were charged Thursday with murder and aggravated assault for the beatings that occurred over a three-day period at the couple's trailer park home in West Caln Township, which they shared with Fellenbaum's estranged wife. Both were ordered held without bail.
"This is just evilness," Chester County District Attorney Thomas Hogan told the station. "It is an unspeakable act of depravity."
The harrowing incident began when Fellenbaum beat Scott on Monday for not eating his toast, investigators said. The beatings continued on Tuesday. During those days, the toddler was thrown against a wall, punched and taped to a chair so he would stay upright to take more blows, WCVB reported.
Fellenbaum and Tait admitted to striking Scott with a metal rod. They also abused the boy's 6-year-old brother, investigators said.
"Gary hung Scott and (his older brother) up by their feet one at a time and beat the boys while they were hanging upside down. Jillian stated that she and Gary were laughing during the incident," according to police affidavits obtained by WCVB.
The toddler was found unresponsive sometime Tuesday. His mother put him in the shower for half an hour before placing the still unconscious child on a mattress, NBC Philadelphia reported.
The couple went shopping, came back with a pizza, had sex and took a nap while Scott was left on the mattress, Tait told police. Tait said she woke up at around 7:30 p.m. and screamed for someone to call 911 when she found Scott wasn't breathing.
Her boyfriend's estranged wife, Amber Fellenbaum, called 911 for Scott.
"When his body went into the emergency room our ER nurses - who see a lot of terrible things - when they saw his body, they wept," Hogan told NBC Philadelphia.
Amber Fellenbaum was charged with child endangerment and is being held on $500,000 bail. Her 11-month-old daughter and Scott's 6-year-old brother do not appear harmed, according to WCVB. They are now staying with family.
Tait and her boyfriend are expected to appear in court Nov. 14.
