BALTIMORE -- The parents of a Rodgers Forge boy who was starved to death were each sentenced Friday to 30 years in prison with five years suspended.
John and Susan Griffin were charged with first-degree murder in the death of their 2-year-old son, Andrew, who weighed only 13 pounds when he died on the way to a hospital in December 2007.
Each parent will also have two years of probation after they get out of prison.
The judge merged charges of first-degree child abuse and second-degree murder for the sentence. He gave both parents the maximum penalty.
"Every inch of (Andrew's) body was covered in an injury, and he was starved to the point that at three years, he was in the fifth percentile for his age and weight," said prosecutor Robin Coffin.
At the sentencing, the couple's attorneys both presented evidence of psychological problems. Susan Griffin's lawyer said she has a history of bipolar disorder and self-medicating. A psychologist said John Griffin suffered from depression and couldn't deal with emotion.
Both attorneys said the parents were under extreme stress at the time of Andrew's death.
"It wasn't as a result of stressors where you snapped or that your life was so overburdened you couldn't act appropriately. They had five other healthy children. … The 'why' is beyond any comprehension," Coffin said.
John Griffin spoke at the sentencing, saying he's still in shock from Andrew's death. He asked for mercy to be able to see his other children, but the judge said no. He said stress was no excuse and that Andrew's death had no excuse.
The judge said Susan Griffin was the primary abuser but that they were both equally to blame.
"They both owed him the responsibility of care. If one parent is abusing, the other absolutely has to step in and end it," Coffin said.
The defense was unavailable for comment on Friday.
During the trial, a doctor said John Griffin told him the boy contracted the flu two weeks prior to the incident and that he'd lost a lot of weight. The father also said he fell into the family's Christmas tree and had gotten bruised, but doctors refuted both statements, saying they were inconsistent with his injuries.
A medical examiner in the case testified that the boy died from starvation and that he suffered from a minimum of three blows to the head. Cuts and bruises were found on his head, but the mother said she didn't know how they got there.
John Griffin, 39, described himself during the trial as a busy man who worked long hours and handled increased responsibilities in his job. He said in the last two months before Andrew's death, he rarely saw his son.
John Griffin admitted that the boy looked bad and was losing hair about a month before he died.
The couple have five other children. The two oldest are currently living with other family members, and the youngest three are in foster care.
I agree with the judge, he was partially at fault. 