Man retches as he’s jailed for up to 100 years for torturing autistic brother to death

An ‘evil’ older brother who tortured his younger brother alongside their mum has been sentenced to up to 100 years in prison.

Paul Ferguson, who had his head bowed in the court, retched as the judge told him he would spend a minimum of 30 years behind bars.

The 21-year-old was described as being ‘one step away from becoming a psychopath’ by Judge Matthew Kacel, who defied sentencing guidelines suggesting he should receive nine to 15 years in jail.

Ferguson pleaded guilty to first-degree child abuse over the death of his 15-year-old brother Timothy, who died in July 2022 after being abused by both him and their mother.

Timothy, who was autistic, weighed just 69lb when he died at their home in Michigan. He’d been mercilessly punished and abused including being force fed hot sauce, depriving him of sleep, and locking away food.

Their mother, 44-year-old Shanda Vander Ark, was sentenced last month to life in prison with no chance of parole after she was convicted or murder and child abuse.

Paul Ferguson (right) admitted first-degree child abuse over the death of his younger brother Timothy (Picture: TikTok)

Ferguson retched and appeared in total shock as he was sentenced (Picture: ABC)

She vomited in court when she was shown pictures of her child’s emaciated body.

Timothy was speech and motor impaired as well as autistic, with Ferguson and Vander Ark tormenting him with callous punishments including lengthy ice baths and forcing him to sleep in a tiny closet.

Their home, and the closet Timothy slept in, was covered with motion sensors, alarms and cameras to keep track of the boy’s every move.

Hours before Timothy died, Ferguson allegedly put him in an ice bath for nearly nine hours. 

However, he testified against his own mother at her trial, claiming he was also a victim and was suffering ‘something close to Stockholm Syndrome.’ 

He said: ‘I desire to find a role model that, due to my own low self-esteem, I would do anything to make them proud of me.

‘That’s not an excuse, I know, but I feel like I’m glad I was at least able to realize it, so I could correct it.’ 

The testimony and guilty plea came in exchange for prosecutors agreeing not to seek elevated charges, such as murder, for the 21-year-old, according to Chief Trial Attorney for Muskegon County Matt Roberts. 

At his own trial this week, Paul appeared downcast as he insisted he regrets his actions, pleading for ‘mercy and fairness’ from the judge. 

In his statement at trial, Paul said: ‘What reasons could justify my actions? I could make up a thousand and never believe one.’

‘What words could voice my regrets? I could think of millions, yet never feel its enough.’ 

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But Judge Kacel said he did not believe Ferguson was truly repentant, MailOnline reports.

Muskegon County Chief Trial Prosecutor Matt Roberts added that Ferguson represents a threat to the public if he doesn’t get mental health treatment while in prison.

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