A Michigan court reporter vomited in court after being shown horrific images of her emaciated disabled son, whom she left to starve.
Shanda Vander Ark, 44, was on trial for the murder and torture of Timothy Ferguson, 15, who died in her home on July 6, 2022, weighing just 69 pounds. An autopsy revealed he died of malnutrition and hypothermia.
Prosecutor Matt Roberts showed Vander Ark images of the teen's frail body in court Thursday afternoon and she began vomiting.
She tortured Timothy, who suffered from autism with speech and motor disabilities, by feeding him only bread covered in hot sauce, depriving him of sleep and forcing him to take ice baths as punishment.
Vander Ark didn't show up for trial Friday because of a “medical issue,” but a jury found her guilty in her absence of first-degree murder and first-degree child abuse. She is scheduled to be sentenced on January 29 and faces life in prison.
44-year-old Michigan law clerk Shanda Vander Ark vomited in court after being shown horrific images of her emaciated disabled son, whom she left to starve
She was on trial for the murder and torture of 15-year-old Timothy Ferguson, who died in her home on July 6, 2022, weighing just 69 pounds. A jury found her guilty of first-degree murder and first-degree child abuse
Vander Ark is said to have equipped the house and the tiny closet where Timothy slept with motion sensors, alarms and live feed cameras
Vander Ark tortured him by feeding him only bread covered in hot sauce, deprived him of sleep, and forced him to take ice baths as punishment
Vander Ark took the witness stand Thursday and began hyperventilating and showing signs of a nervous breakdown.
Prosecutor Roberts handed her pictures of Timothy's emaciated body and asked, “Is this what he looked like when you put him in the bathtub?”
She immediately began choking before vomiting out of sight of the jury. She then apologized in court, asked for a moment and began to cry.
The next day, Vander Ark, who has five biological children including a nine-year-old boy, was found guilty of torturing and murdering Timothy.
Timothy's older brother Paul, 20, was also charged with first-degree child abuse but testified against their mother in court.
“I would say it’s something like Stockholm syndrome,” Paul said on the witness stand.
“I want to find a role model where I would do anything to make them proud of me because of my low self-esteem.”
She claimed she locked the family's refrigerator, freezer and pantry because Timothy tried to eat frozen foods and undercooked meat
Vander Ark took the witness stand Thursday and began hyperventilating and showing signs of a nervous breakdown
Timothy's older brother Paul, 20, was also charged with first-degree child abuse, but he testified against their mother in court
“It’s not an excuse, I know, but I’m glad I was at least able to recognize it and correct it.”
Vander Ark, who worked as a law clerk in Newaygo County Circuit Court, had previously testified that she bought hot hot sauce online after Paul thought it would be a good idea to punish Timothy.
A text message exchange between the two also revealed that she asked if they should drizzle the hot sauce on the boy's genitals.
“I wonder what it would feel like to have that hot sauce in your private area. “I'm not saying to touch it there, not at all, but to drip a little there, that's horrible,” she asked.
Her lawyer argued she didn't understand the harm she was causing her son and didn't know he was starving.
She also claimed she locked the family's refrigerator, freezer and pantry because Timothy tried to eat frozen foods and undercooked meat.
Vander Ark is said to have equipped the house and the tiny closet where Timothy slept with motion sensors, alarms and live feed cameras.
Prosecutor Roberts said she tortured the child by giving him hot sauce and punishing him with ice baths. “She killed him. “She starved him,” he said.
Hours before Timothy died, Paul is said to have placed him in an ice bath for almost nine hours.
Paul told the jury that he abused his brother at the direction of his mother.