Michigan woman sentenced to life in prison in starvation death of son

MUSKEGON, Mich. (AP) — A western Michigan woman convicted of murder and child abuse in the starvation death of a disabled 15-year-old son who weighed just 69 pounds has sentenced to life in prison without a chance of parole. Forty-four-year-old Shanda Vander Ark of Norton Shores was found guilty in the July 6, 2022, death of Timothy Ferguson. She was sentenced to an additional 50 to 100 years in prison Tuesday for first-degree child abuse. Muskegon County Judge Matthew Kacel told Vander Ark she “intentionally and systematically tortured this child. Let’s call it what it is: It’s torture.” Prosecutors have said the victim had some mental disabilities.