MUSKEGON COUNTY, Mich — A Norton Shores woman who tortured and murdered her teenage son will spend the rest of her life in prison.
That's the sentence a Muskegon County judge handed Shanda Vander Ark in the death of 15-year-old Timothy Ferguson.
Millie and Nolan Ferguson, both siblings of Timothy, said the judge's decision puts an end to a months-long trial full of hardships. This allows them to move forward in the process of grieving their brother.
They spoke about how hard life has been without their brother, and why their mother doesn't deserve freedom.
"I want the world to know that Timothy was wanted. If not by her, then by me. He was loved by me," Millie Ferguson said before Judge Matthew Kacel announced Vander Ark's sentence.
Millie Ferguson Impact Statement
The hearing began with victim impact statements. Millie Ferguson, Timothy's older sister by two years, first spoke in court.
"I regret not hugging more, and teasing him so much and not telling him I love him more often," she said. "I regret not dancing with him at my brother's wedding, the last time I saw him."
"These are the things that I can't remedy now. There's no fixing what's been done. That's my regret — that I couldn't protect him when he needed me most," Millie said through tears.
She reflected on protecting Timothy as his older sister, and the time they got taken away from their parents by Child Protective Services.
"The victim of this crime can't speak for himself. I want the woman who killed my little brother to face the highest punishment possible," she said.
Nolan Ferguson Jr. Impact Statement
Nolan Ferguson Jr., Timothy's older brother, took to the microphone next.
"I can't have my brother back. She shouldn't have her freedom back," he said. "The life of one sweet little blue-eyed boy is not equivalent to that of a murderer."
Prosecuting attorney Matt Roberts said Vander Ark never looked over at her children while they read their statements.
"All of the things that she did... are so callous, are so cold that they just defy explanation," Roberts said. "She had stopped thinking of her children as human beings."
Vander Ark's attorney spoke to the court about welcoming Timothy into her home while working as a single mom who was putting herself through school and the difficulties that came with it.
"This is a survivor. A person who pulled herself up by her bootstraps," said Fred Johnson. "We're not looking at evil, we're looking at sick."
Vander Ark chose not to speak at the trial.
Judge Matthew R. Kacel then spoke directly to Vander Ark as he explained his sentencing.
During the trial, Kacel said he did not allow cameras to show Timothy's body because he didn't want that to be how the teen was remembered.
"I am choosing not to remember your son dead, looking like a holocaust victim. I'm choosing to remember him like that," he said, as he showed a younger photo of Timothy to the courtroom.
Last month, Vander Ark took the stand herself and was questioned by the defense and prosecution for over three hours.
During the questioning, Vander Ark claimed that she didn't remember a lot of the details of the days, weeks and months leading up to Timothy's death.
Throughout the trial, Vander Ark's attorney tried to present her client as a hardworking and educated mother who was doing her best as a parent but the chief prosecutor continually asked questions about how she would treat Timothy, especially in comparison to her other children.
It is alleged that Vander Ark's 20-year-old son, Paul Ferguson, participated in the abuse against Timothy.
Paul Ferguson previously pleaded guilty to first-degree child abuse and took the stand in his mother's trial.
He's scheduled to learn his sentence on Feb. 26.
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