A Denver father may spend as long as seven years prison after pleading guilty to felony child abuse for keeping his children in squalor, Yahoo News reported on Thursday.
Wayne Sperling, 67, who had children that could only communicate with grunts, had his charges dropped by prosecutors by pleading guilty. His sentencing is Dec. 30.
When the youngest child - a 2-year-old - was taken to the hospital for a cut on his forehead, doctors suspected child abuse. The child smelled like cigarettes, was dirty and had bruises from being punched. The oldest child is 6 years old.
When police arrived at the home of Sperling, the boys and his wife, it was covered in cat feces and flies. Since the children were not seriously injured, the state wasn't allowed to pursue stricter penalties. It was the prosecutors' most horrific case.
In light of the condition they were living in, the boys' health is improving and are living with foster parents. They have not asked about if they're going back home.
"Considering what they've gone through, they're doing remarkably well," Denver District Attorney spokeswoman Lynn Kimbrough told WRAL. She added the boys are being kept together so they can bond and recover together from the abuse they endured.
Lorinda Bailey, Sperling's wife, also pleaded guilty got 90 days in jail followed by five years of probation.
The family's entire apartment was covered in dead flies, an inch of solidified cat feces with urine underneath one of the children's beds, Detective Teresa Gessler testified. When they were given apples and sandwiches to eat, they patted and played with them. Gessler said they acted like the boys had never seen nutritious food before.
The children also did not know how to get dressed or use the bathroom on their own when they were taken from the home.
