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Gwinnett County mother gets 40 years for abuse, torture
A Gwinnett County judge sentenced a Lilburn mother to serve 40 years in prison after a jury convicted her of battery and child cruelty for subjecting her 9-year-old daughter to years of abuse and torture.
GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. - A Gwinnett County mother will spend 40 years behind bars after a jury convicted her of subjecting her 9-year-old daughter to prolonged starvation, beatings and torture.
Mother convicted on multiple counts of child cruelty
What we know:
A jury found Kristy Cooley guilty of two counts of aggravated battery, eight counts of first-degree cruelty to children and two counts of tampering with evidence. Jurors recommended 242 years in prison before a judge sentenced Cooley to an 80-year sentence with 40 years to serve behind bars.
Assistant District Attorney Megan Matteucci stated that a doctor testified the abuse amounted to "child torture",encompassing severe physical abuse, psychological abuse and medical neglect. Investigators discovered photos on Cooley's cellphone showing the girl with a black eye when she was only 5 or 6 years old.
Assistant District Attorney Dallas Cox credited an online teacher for uncovering the abuse. The educator noticed warning signs during mandatory student check-ins and alerted law enforcement.
Starvation and severe abuse
The backstory:
Cooley, who Prosecutors revealed that Cooley kept cameras installed throughout the home to monitor the child's every move. If adults were away, Cooley watched the live camera feeds to catch the girl doing anything that was not up to her standards.
Cooley locked her 9-year-old daughter inside her bedroom for days at a time and forced her to use a bucket as a bathroom. The child was systematically starved and forced to sneak out of her bedroom just to find food.
When the girl was caught sneaking food, Cooley subjected her to brutal punishments. Those beatings included tying the child up, striking her with sticks and a metal pipe, and burning her body until she lost consciousness.
Protecting community children
What they're saying:
Gwinnett County District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson urged residents to watch out for vulnerable children and seek help when families struggle.
"One thing I can say about Gwinnett County. Can you give me that book back there when that county is a wonderful community to be in, there's help for everybody," Austin-Gatson said. "Our office put together our resource guide to help people find help. And basically, if there was a phone call to anyone in the Gwinnett County district in this family needed help, they would have found it. But what we asked people to do is just be on the lookout, because this is our community and we want to protect children here."
Motive and household dynamics
The victim was the middle child in the home and the only child targeted by Cooley. The child's stepfather died from congestive heart failure tied to obesity before he could stand trial.
State child welfare workers with the Division of Family & Children Services had contact with the household when the girl was a toddler, but officials noted there was almost no follow-up. When asked about a motive for the torture, prosecutors stated, "Pure evil is the only motive we can think of."
Future custody details
What we don't know:
Authorities have not named the specific state prison facility where Cooley will serve her sentence.
Officials have not confirmed the survivor is now in foster care.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from Gwinnett County court trial records, expert medical testimony, statements from District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson, and evidence presented by assistant district attorneys Megan Matteucci and Dallas Cox.