(La Porte, IN) - "Intense and emotional." That's how prosecutors described the atmosphere in the courtroom Friday as Mary Yoder appeared for sentencing. In August, she pled guilty to one count of neglect resulting in the death of a dependent and one count of domestic battery to a child.
Her husband, Alan Morgan, is already serving a 70-year sentence for his part in the murder of their son, 4-year-old Judah Morgan in October of 2021.
On Friday Circuit Court Judge Tom Alevizos sentenced Yoder to 42 years in prison.
La Porte County Prosecutor Sean Fagan was happy with the sentence, but not with the circumstances. "One of the greatest things a person can have is the role of mother; Mary Yoder failed horribly at it," said Fagan. "She got what we felt she deserves. Justince is served for Judah."
In court, Yoder expressed her remorse, but a La Porte County Sheriff’s officer who investigated the case testified to the horrific conditions in which Judah lived and died.
