A northwestern Indiana man whose son died after he was starved, beaten and kept in a dog cage has been sentenced to 80 years in prison.
Riley Choate, 40, of Hammond was sentenced in Lake Criminal Court Friday, about a month after he pleaded guilty to felony neglect and other charges related to the death of Christian Choate.
The boy's severely malnourished body was found in a shallow grave at a mobile home park in Gary shortly after he was reported missing in May 2011.
In return for the guilty pleas, prosecutors dropped charges of murder, battery, criminal confinement and obstruction of justice.
The plea agreement states Christian died on April 2, 2009, from a combination of physical trauma, poor health and malnourishment.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
