MUSKEGON COUNTY, Mich. — A man who has been accused of following orders to torture his teen brother, which ultimately led to his brother's death, has pleaded guilty.
Paul Ferguson pleaded guilty to first-degree child abuse Thursday in the death of his brother, 15-year-old Timothy Ferguson.
This comes a week after Paul and Timothy's mother, Shanda Vander Ark, was found guilty of Timothy's death.
In July 2022, police responded to the family's home in Norton Shores to find Timothy dead. He weighed only 69 pounds. Timothy’s body showed signs of malnutrition and hypothermia, according to information revealed in court.
Muskegon County Prosecutor DJ Hilson called the situation "the most disturbing case he has seen in his career."
Paul took the stand during Vander Ark's trial last week.
According to Paul, Timothy was forced to live in a small closet in their basement. A detective showed pictures of the closet to the court, indicating that the only objects in it were a blue tarp and an Amazon box. Police say the room had an overwhelming odor of urine and feces.
Paul testified that handcuffs and zip ties were used to restrict Timothy's movement, while cameras and motion sensors were used to monitor him, both in the closet and the bathroom. Shanda and Paul often discussed ways to keep him uncomfortable, like forcing him to stand facing a wall for hours at a time or doing wall sits.
Timothy was punished by being fed Carolina Reaper hot sauce, either on pieces of bread or poured directly into his mouth, which Paul admitted to doing to his younger brother.
Paul said he occasionally placed Timothy in a bathtub of cold water, including the day before he died for more than nine hours. Texts reveal Timothy was also forced at times to run up and down stairs while Paul chased him.
All of this, Paul says, was per Shanda's orders, claiming low self-esteem made him want to make his mom proud.
Paul says the morning Timothy was found dead, he attempted to resuscitate him for 18 minutes before they called 911. He says Shanda told him to lie to police, saying Timothy had been on a hunger strike.
Paul initially went with the lie, before saying he later confessed the full truth to investigators.
He was originally scheduled to learn his sentence on Jan. 29, but that hearing is now scheduled for Feb. 26, 2024.
13 ON YOUR SIDE will livestream that hearing.
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