The Texas mother who abandoned her three children in a home to live with the decomposing remains of their dead 8-year-old sibling has been sentenced for her role in the boy’s death, according to police.

Gloria Williams, 38, was sentenced to 50 years in prison after pleading guilty in October to two counts of child injury in connection with the death of her 8-year-old son Kendrick Lee at the family’s Houston apartment, according to a news release issued on Wednesday, November 13.

Williams’ husband, Brian Coulter, 34, was sentenced to life in prison without parole in April for fatally beating the boy in late 2020, according to authorities.

“We expect parents to protect their children, not harm them, because children are our most vulnerable victims,” Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said in a statement. “This case shocks the conscience not just because a child lost his life, but because of his parents’ complete and total disregard for human life.”

According to the statement, two siblings testified at Coulter’s trial that they witnessed Coulter continuously assaulting Kendrick. After the boy died in late 2020, Coulter concealed his body and relocated with Williams to a separate apartment, but the boy’s three siblings were forced to remain there, according to prosecutors.

In October 2021, Williams’ 15-year-old son reported to authorities that his sibling “had been dead for a year and his body was in the room next to his,” Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez told reporters at the time.

Prosecutors stated the boy’s skeletal bones were wrapped with a blue blanket inside the flat.

“The apartment was in terrible shape. We observed dirty flooring and no furniture at all. We couldn’t see any bedding or blankets. “We saw roaches and flies and a very bad condition for anyone to live in,” Gonzalez told PEOPLE earlier.

Lt. Dennis Wilford described Coulter as “manipulative” at a press conference announcing the charges in 2021, but said that Williams was still responsible for her son’s death.

According to the announcement, Williams’ plea agreement included a desire that the children not have to testify about the killing again. According to the district attorney’s office, Williams will have to complete at least half of her sentence before being eligible for parole.

“By pleading guilty and waiving the right to a jury trial, the defendant finally acted like a protective mother,” prosecutor Edward A. Appelbaum stated in the announcement. “For one day of her children’s lives, she was a good mother.”

If you suspect child abuse, contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or visit www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week in over 170 languages.

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