A lesbian pair caused hysteria in a U.S. courtroom recently when
they were sentenced to life in prison brutally killing a
child.
Erica Mae Butts and Shanita Latrice Cunningham, who pleaded guilty
to the crime in August, hysterically screamed and hyper-ventilated
after being handed their custodial term.
They fell to the floor, had to be restrained and then wheeled out
of the Charleston courtroom. The mother of one of the convicted
women was thrown out of the courtroom for continual
screaming.
Watch the video below.
The women, both 25, each received a life sentence on
Thursday - exactly two years to the day since three year-old
Serenity Richardson died in their care.
The toddler, a godchild of Butts, was steadily beaten to death
over a two-week period because of a "potty accident".
According to The Examiner, an examination of Serenity's body
revealed "a horror story".
She was covered in bruises, cuts and wounds - inflicted by belts
and plastic coat hangers - everywhere except on the soles of her
feet.
There was also a large burn mark on her leg.
When she became unresponsive, the pair - a couple - tried to
revive her by putting bleach under her nose and covering her in
ice.
When police eventually arrived, the child had been dead for some
time.
The assistant county solicitor who handled the case said it was
the worst she had encountered in her years of prosecuting cases
involving crimes against special victims.
Sentencing the killers, Judge Richardson said: "To ignore what
must have been excruciating sounds that came from that child is
more than disconcerting to this court.
"As such, the court finds it appropriate that each be sentenced to
the state department of corrections for a period of life."
