Nora Rodgers was sentenced to 30 years in prison for abusing her three stepchildren physically, mentally, and emotionally.
According to officials, a Georgia lady was sentenced to 30 years in jail for physically, mentally, and emotionally abusing her three stepchildren.
Nora Rodgers pleaded guilty on Oct. 9 to nine counts of Cruelty to Children in the First Degree, according to a press statement from the Newton County District Attorney’s Office.
According to the announcement, law authorities rushed to Rodgers’ house in October 2020 after a worried relative reported her. The children, aged nine, eight, and six, were discovered with physical abuse indicators such as bruising and swelling.
The nine-year-old boy had a black eye and serious bruising on his legs, while the eight-year-old daughter had bruises all over her body, as well as scratches and signs from physical treatment.
According to the district attorney’s office, the six-year-old girl sustained the most serious physical injuries. She was covered in scratches, swelling, and bruising, and she had a broken elbow. She also sustained significant internal injuries as a result of the beatings, which may have resulted in her death and necessitated treatment by the trauma team at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.
For extended periods of time, the youngsters were forced to perform intense bootcamp-style activities such as running laps, squatting with heavy logs from the yard, and jumping jacks, to the point of exhaustion and injury.
Rodgers would frequently make them do these workouts late at night and in the summer heat.
She would beat the children if they did not do the exercises to Rodgers’ standards.
Rodgers had previously been advised by the Department of Family and Children Services that she could not utilize exercise or corporal punishment, but this did not dissuade her.
Rodgers would underfeed and withhold food from the three children as a form of punishment, and they were found underweight. She would set time constraints for them to eat their meals and combine their solid foods into a liquid to allow them to eat faster.
Notably, Rodgers’ three biological children were not subjected to the same food restrictions or physical activities as her stepchildren.
After law enforcement became engaged, all six children were removed from the home and placed in foster care.
Rodgers was sentenced to 60 years on probation during a sentencing hearing on December 12, with the first 30 years served in prison. During the hearing, impact statements were made by the child victims, foster parents, a social worker, and the children’s grandmother outlining how Rodgers’ abuse affected the children.
“The prosecution team’s dedicated work resulted in a result that guarantees that the victims will be well into adulthood before Rodgers is released,” District Attorney Randy McGinley said in a statement. “The District Attorney’s Office sought justice for the victims, but also that Rodgers be imprisoned long enough that she could not harm these or any other children.” The prosecution’ efforts resulted in a guilty plea with an appropriate penalty without the children having to testify for long periods of time and relive the trauma they endured.”
“A special thanks goes to the foster parents who cared for the children after their abuse and family of the children who reported the abuse,” the statement went on to say.
