Photo: Harris County District Attorney's Office
A Texas father has been sentenced after his seven-year-old adopted son was found dead inside a washing machine.
On Thursday (July 31), Jemaine Thomas was sentenced to 50 years in prison in connection with the July 2022 death of his adopted son, Troy Koehler, 7, per PEOPLE.
Thomas and his wife, Tiffany, had initially reported Troy missing on July 28, 2022. Hours later, deputies responded to the call and found the boy's body inside a top-loading washing machine in their Houston home. Authorities were initially unsure if Troy had accidentally climbed into the washer or had been placed in there. However, an autopsy revealed that Troy had suffered blunt-force trauma, signs of asphyxiation, and possible drowning. Bruising was found on his face, arms, legs, and buttocks. Investigators also found blood in multiple areas of the home and on the washing machine itself.
Thomas and his wife, who fostered and adopted Troy in 2019, were arrested in November 2022. Thomas was charged with capital murder, while his wife, Tiffany, was charged with injury to a child by omission.
Prosecutors said Thomas became enraged when Troy ate snacks that belonged to him and his wife, including oatmeal cream pies and doughnut sticks. According to the prosecution, Thomas sent threatening texts to his wife, like “I’m going to end up kill[ing] him" and “get the [locks],” a reference to locking the child up.
Thomas and his wife pleaded guilty to their respective charges. Tiffany’s sentencing is scheduled for September 10.
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