Two sentenced in child abuse case
Sep. 28—LOCKPORT — A pair of Lewiston women are heading to state prison and the county jail after being sentenced for the abuse of two small children in what Niagara County Court Judge Matthew J. Murphy III called a "chamber of horrors."
Murphy sentenced Christina DeGroff to two concurrent terms of 3 years in prison and 3 years post release supervision for her guilty plea to two counts of second-degree assault. He tacked on a concurrent term of 1 to 3 years for a guilty plea of a count of reckless endangerment and gave DeGroff an unconditional discharge for two counts of endangering the welfare of a child.
The 47-year-year Lewiston woman sat shaking at the defense table in Murphy's courtroom and said, softly, "Oh no. Oh please no." as the judge handed down her sentence.
Murphy, after declining to grant her youthful offender status, sentenced Michaela Wilson, 20, to concurrent terms of 6 months in county jail and 5 years probation for her pleas to three counts of second-degree assault and a count of endangering the welfare of a child. He sentenced her to an unconditional discharge on two other endangering counts.
The two women, along with DeGroff's boyfriend and Wilson's father, Michael Wilson Sr., were all charged in connection with a child abuse investigation that began in April 2020, and revealed what Niagara County Sheriff's Office investigators called "the worst" child abuse case they'd ever seen.
Both DeGroff and Wilson had been free on their own recognizance. They were led away in handcuffs Monday by state court officers.
Murphy made clear during the proceedings that he believed that "the evil presence in this case was Michael Wilson Sr. No doubt."
The judge noted that he had previously imposed the maximum possible sentence on Wilson Sr. — 25 years in prison, for his guilty pleas to causing a life-threatening injury to a 5-year-old boy. The child suffered a severe brain injury in the near fatal attack by Wilson Sr.
Wilson Sr., 49, pleaded guilty to single courts of first-degree assault, attempted second-degree assault and endangering the welfare of a child.
But Murphy, who called the cases of DeGroff and Wilson "difficult", made clear that he felt he needed to impose sentences of incarceration for the "horrific pain" that had been inflicted on the young boy and his sister.
Defense attorney Micheal Deal, representing DeGroff, told Murphy that the placement of the young children with Wilson Sr. and DeGroff by the Niagara County Department of Social Services had been a grave mistake and that Child Protective Services workers bore some responsibility for the abuse of the children.
"These children should never have been in that household," Deal said. "This could have been avoided. This was a systemic failure of the institution that is supposed to make sure this doesn't happen."
Murphy agreed that "the Department of Social Services should have done more." But the judge said DegRoff also bore "individual responsibility to the abuse of the children.
"She still inflicted injuries on these children and is deserving of a state prison sentence," the judge said.
Wilson's attorney, Scott Stopa, said his client "accepted responsibility" for her conduct, but argued that "incarceration will not be beneficial."
"She knows what she did was wrong," Stopa said.
Murphy noted that there were fewer allegations of abuse involving Michaela Wilson.
The abuse reportedly took place in the family's home in the 5200 block of Lewiston Road.
