A former Soldotna resident has been convicted of child abuse in Phoenix Arizona.
Investigation into the death of a 2 year-old boy in San Tan Valley Arizona led to the conviction of 29 year-old Amberlee Query, the boy’s mother who was previously from Soldotna, and 26 year-old James Sunderland, the mother’s boyfriend.
According to the authorities of the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office, On May 31, 2013 Sunderland was babysitting two year-old Collin when he called 911 and reported the boy had become unresponsive after seizure like symptoms.
Collin was air-lifted to a Phoenix hospital where he later died from his injuries. Doctors told authorities a CT showed the child had suffered massive brain swelling and bruising on his body.
The Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled the manner of death as a homicide.
Sunderland was found guilty of all charges in March according to a news release from the sheriff’s office yesterday and sentenced to natural life in prison for the first-degree murder conviction. He was also sentenced to two and a half years in prison on each two counts of child abuse.
Query plead guilty to two counts of child abuse which were brought against her based on old bruising and marks on the child. She was sentenced to lifetime probation with two and a half years in prison.
After the initial investigation began, Sunderland and Query were arrested at the Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport on June 10, 2013 when trying to fly to Alaska.