“There are certain things worse than death…I fear we witnessed one of those today.” – Rogers Co. Judge in court today
Gustus Pennington has been sentenced to 6 consecutive life sentences for torturing a three year old little girl for 6 straight days at a home in Collinsville back in 2020.
ADA Kali Strain says Pennington put a shock collar on the little girl, turned it up to the highest setting, set up a camera, locked her in a room then watched the torture from another room on an iPad.
The victim was Pennington’s girlfriend’s daughter.
Investigators collected 600 video clips of the abuse, and showed just a fraction of the video today in court.
The affidavit says Pennington forced the child to sit on ice, while naked and go to the bathroom on a cinder block.
It also says the couple did this to teach the child her “ABCs” and “re-train her brain” of if she was “respectful.”
Prosecutors say Pennington shocked the child so much, it burned out the collar and he had planned to go buy another one.
They say in February 2020, Pennington started the torture by spanking the child repeatedly using his hand then a wood board all because he claimed the girl was “manipulating and lying to him.”
They say Pennington also strapped the little girl to a table and beat her with a board.
Prosecutors showed video in court today of Pennington wrapping the girl in canvas, tying up her hands and feet, then hanging her on a wall with her feet right above a space heater.
Prosecutors also showed pictures of burn and bruising marks on the girls neck from the shock collar, as well as bruises and other wounds all over her body.
The lead investigator testified today, fighting back tears, and called this the worst case he’s ever worked.
He says based on the evidence they found they believe Pennington made the child sleep in a dog crate. He said there’s no sentence for Pennington that would do justice.
Prosecutors also read text messages between Pennington and the child’s mother Jeannette Wilson where the two were talking about the abuse, while Wilson was at work.
Wilson initially claimed her and her daughter had been kidnapped by Pennington and held hostage in the trailer. Investigators say that wasn’t true, and the messages proved that.
Wilson was sentenced to life in prison plus 10 years a couple weeks ago for her role in the abuse.
Pennington’s attorney argued today that Pennington is a changed man now three years later and is not evil. The attorney said Pennington was addicted to meth and paranoid and the drugs made him do evil things.
Some good news… the little girl is now 6 years old and has been adopted to a new family and I’m told she is doing really well.
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