An Alabama man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after he starved his 2-month-old son to death.
Kristopher Matthews, 40, of Elmore County, was found guilty of aggravated child abuse in August in connection with the 2018 death of his son Karson, according to local news outlets WSFA 12 and WAKA Action 8.
On Thursday, Sept. 18, 19th Judicial Circuit District Attorney CJ Robinson issued a press release stating that Karson was born weighing 6 lbs., 2 oz., and “died two months later weighing substantially less.”
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“In an interview with law enforcement, Kristopher Matthews admitted to having never taken Karson to the doctor after being released from the hospital after birth. He claimed he never personally fed his child and had no duty to do so since he was the father,” the release said.
Robinson compared the photos in this case to “horror movie” scenes. “This withered child’s body was nothing but a dirty, skin-covered skeleton,” he explained. “A haunting image that no one who saw it will ever forget.”
The child’s mother, Shirley Matthews, was convicted of the same crime in July 2024. She was also sentenced to 20 years in prison.
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“Kristopher and Shirley Matthews completely destroyed the life of their baby boy by neglecting his existence until he died,” Robinson said. “No question, this is one of the hardest cases we have ever had to prosecute. The suffering and agonizing death of this baby was completely avoidable.”
“Evil is real,” he continued, adding, “Honestly, prison is too good for what they deserve, but it’s all the law will allow.”
Presiding Judge Amanda Baxley addressed Matthews during the sentencing, calling the case “horrific,” per the release.
“I wish I could sentence you to more than 20 years, but the law at the time of this offense handcuffed the prosecution and handcuffs me as well,” she added.
Baxley also said that the law in Alabama has since been updated to allow for harsher sentences in “situations like this,” but it was not yet in effect when Matthews committed the crime.
PEOPLE reached out to the District Attorney’s Office for comment on Saturday, Sept. 20, but did not receive an immediate response. It is unclear who served as legal counsel for Matthews at this time.
