Michigan judge sentences Shanda Vander Ark to life without parole 

This judge showed more respect for her son than she did. How bizarre. Pure evil.

This judge did not speak from legal textbooks, he spoke from his heart.

She went and bought extra hot sauce online, expensive cameras, motion sensors, etc.! She went out of her way, spent extra money, spent all this time to torture him on purpose. She enjoyed harming her sick child who did nothing. Timothy’s only crime was existing.

I love this judge. He cared more for Timothy then Shanda ever did,

This judge's statement gave me chills. He honored her son.

Thanks for standing up for abused children.

“ thank god he finally passed away because he’d still be suffering “ broke my heart into a million pieces. Rest in peace .

I am so sick and tired of these parents hurting and killing their children. What is wrong with people today.

“You would have lost the very thing you wanted to torture.” FINALLY a judge that understands the difference between mental illness and sadism. She’s not mentally ill. She got pleasure from the total control, dominance and power she had over this child. The torture happened in the privacy of her home where she could enjoy it at leisure. Thank you judge for speaking for Timothy.

I'm so glad she will never be free again. What she did to her son is horrendous.

She had nothing to say. No apology. No remorse. And worst of all no tears of deep sorrow and regret for what she did.

How the judge held himself together to speak professionally in this summing up and sentencing was amazing, his distress and anger was seen by everyone.

No emotion from her whatsoever. Where have the panic attacks gone all of a sudden and the vomiting?

The judge did a phenomenal job !

Ive watched documentaries about what it was like to be a POW, be in a Korean death camp, be in a concentration camp, etc...Its not an exaggeration to say that Timothy lived an almost identical life at the hands of his own mother to people imprisoned in literal death camps. Rest in peace, Timothy. You've more than earned it and Im so sorry for what you went through.

She should be in solidary confinement, blindfolded and given minutes to use a public bathroom for the rest of her life. No medication for what she believes is her medical issue. What a truly disgusting excuse for a human being. I'm glad she didn't get the death sentence, she doesn't deserve that easy out. At the very least, no one can ever hurt this innocent child ever again. May he thrive in Heaven as the sweet Soul that he truly was. RIP Timothy. 💙💙💙

Judge looks physically sick for what this monster of a woman has done.

Her son who traveled 900 miles to give an impact statement, was also abused. This woman deserves the dea th penalty.

We need more judges like Judge Matthew Kacel. I hope he is okay himself.

Omg when he put that little boys photo up I just broke into tears God love that poor child

I loved what this Judge said...Justice for Timothy....He won....What a evil monster she is!!

We have TRULY reached a all new low when a adult person has to say "thank God this child died so you couldn't torture him anymore" that really hit me hard....

Love this judge for telling her that Timothy won and he saved the younger siblings from going through what he did if she had been cleared. Its so hard to take in how evil she is. I watch this judge's sentence to her every week 😢 Respect to him ❤

I’m a bit at ease knowing she’s going to have to face those women in prison who can’t see their kids. I hope they have a time with her. RIP 🪦 LIL Tim.

To hear the judge say he doesn’t believe she intended to take his life because she wanted the torturing to continue is one of the most chilling things I’ve ever heard. The depth of her depravity knows no bounds.

This judge is absolutely amazing 👏 Timothy WON

I thank God for this judge!!! He's the most compassionate judge I've ever seen. He went above and beyond his job with reading over the 2,000 text messages 3 different times but also spoke on behalf of everyone who watched this horrific trial. I can't thank you enough Judge Kacel and God Bless you ❤

I really wish we could have seen her face during her sentencing.

What an incredible judge. Thank you Judge Kacel! Timothy did win today. Justice was served! Now it’s time to throw away the key and let Shanda rot in complete misery.

She will get her comeuppance in prison. Bring it on.

I had a 1-week old baby son while this trial was happening, and it shocked me to my core. The love I feel for my son is so unconditional, I just cannot imagine how someone could hurt their child like this. Thank God Timothy is at peace and she is behind bars away from her.

This is an excellent judge. He spoke with such passion and love for this child. This judge did not mince words whatsoever. I’m so glad he showed Timothys picture. He had more love for him than his own mother. Rip Timothy

There’s nothing more deeply tragic or soul wrenching than a child who dies without ever knowing love.

What a shame her punishment can’t be exactly what she did to her son !

The evil things judges hear daily.Bless this man.😢💕😢💕

I love this judge, this man is showing a different side of the justice system. May the Lord bless him and his family for standing by what’s right. Thank you for your service your honor.

I am a 64 yr old truck driver. Not sure why I watched this clip. Now I am crying for that young man.

What an amazing judge...preserving this young man's dignity...

This case is so upsetting and horrific. I just can't wrap my head around how a mother can do this to her own flesh and blood. They may have gone to jail but that's not enough. If only they could be tortured and made to endure everything that Timothy had to go through. It breaks my heart that nobody else knew what was going on to help Timothy. They are both monsters and deserve to rot in prison.

Isn't it poetic that the snow is falling with a quiet, gentle whiteness to blanket the landscape, that God holds this child forever in love and life and peace. She will now know how Timothy felt for the rest of her life.

Our country needs more Judge Kacel's. Thank you for bringing justice to Timothy's memory

She is just pure evil. I hope she gets what she deserves in jail.

She will face the ultimate JUDGE one day!! .....

One of the most compassionate and fair sentencings I have ever witnessed.

What a wonderful compassionate and kind man this Judge is. God bless him!

She is the reason they should have the death penalty.

The fact that this vile individual had absolutely NOTHING to say about her actions speaks VOLUMES about who she is...

This judges speech really broke my heart 😢

This judge is phenomenal!

Judge Kacel you rock !!! You truly gave justice to Timothy. Your heartfelt words will stay with me forever. THANK YOU !!

Gotta respect he didn’t allow any of his torture photos in open court. Gave Timothy the respect no one else would. Expressed his deep disappointment that no one spoke as a victim impact statement. Kudos, sir.

I've been struggling to know how to process this, as the mum of a 17 year old boy with autism. My boy struggles in an educational setting, I fought to keep him in mainstream school, and now he is in college, still struggling. Yet our family has never given up, knowing he deserves the world. His father and stepmother were showing signs of using food to punish him if he wouldn't eat, giving him bread and jam sandwiches as lunch, standing him in a corner when he wouldn't talk (in his early years his speech was extremely limited) I wasn't allowed to ask how his visits to his dad went, as family court in the UK frown upon anything they perceive as parental alienation. He went to school at the age of ten, struggling to articulate how he felt at the way they were treating him. Ultimately, a social services council worker advised me to stop the contact as we were both being emotionally abused by his father and wife, and risk being taken back to court. Which luckily didn't happen. Seeing those slight similarities has shocked me to the core. I wish poor Timothy had a warm and loving family, no matter what the issues, it's the very least of what he deserved. I feel for Paul, but thankfully he is taking accountability. For Shanda, there is no hell hot or deep enough.

The country needs more people like this judge.

A judge with heart. He truly did his best to honor Timothy.

We have to thank this judge!

THIS IS ONE PHENOMENAL JUDGE!!! NOT ONLY DID HE GIVE TIMOTHY HIS DIGNITY HE SHOWED HIS EMOTIONS IN AWAY ALL OF US FEEL OVER WHAT SHE DID TO THAT CHILD. my grandson is 5 and non verbal autistic my biggest fear is how he is treated in this world bc he is absolutely perfect and innocent so pure and the thought of anyone hurting him makes me physically sick. Also I respect this JUDGE and all Judges when they also stand for the jury because they know they deserve that respect. Not all judges do stand up and I always think it's the arrogance of a judge. BUT this JUDGE is amazing and the jury in this case gave justice to Timothy who so deserved a better life. My heart just hurts for that child. I hope he can now Rest in Peace.

I am a woman who was a loving teacher of young children for 28 years. I have a degree in Child and Human Development, and no criminal record whatsoever. I don't drink or smoke and I've never touched a drug. Yet I am unable to have children, and this evil monster was able to pump out at least THREE, and then goes on to abuse them, and tortures one to death. Life is unfair.

Good job judge. What a tragedy!

Love this judge he had more compassion for this boy then his own mom. Love when he said “Timothy won you did not win”

This Judge is Absolutely Amazing hope he gives her son same sentence

The judge did an excellent job of telling her exactly how bad she tortured her son.

This judge gave Timothy the dignity he deserved... I was crying so hard... judge spoke for all of us especially Timothy.

I hope her forever home will be soooo frightening that this monster will live the next 70+ years in complete and utter terror.

Shanda told a friend on the phone she thought her PTSD would get her sympathy from the court. Thank goodness nothing mattered to the judge.

This judge is amazing. I burst into tears, when he showed the picture and explained he didnt allow evidence photos, to be shown to the public for Timothys sake, so the world wouldnt remember him like that. And i know the worst punishment he gave her was looking her in the eyes and saying "Timothy won, you lost. The world knows what you are now" Such a heartbreaking case. May his soul rest

The judge showed more compassion for that poor kid than the “mother” ever did.

She should have made to stand up & look at the judge whilst being sentenced ... What an evil human being ...

50 -100 years in prison for abusing her son.👎

For a Judge to say hes glad this child passed , so he wasnt in more pain and torture was incredible.

Thank you Judge Kacel for delivering justice for Timothy and for all Americans. We cannot allow each other to treat children this way.

Respect to this judge and the prosecuting lawyer. 🙌

The very definition of EVIL. Thank you Judge Kacel for your heart and eloquence.

Sadism is the word the judge is looking for.

Judge is amazing you could tell he was emotional and rightly so. She didn't give a toss evil, she will no doubt get hers in prison. What a lovely looking you boy may he RIP, god bless.

To Shanda, (nuclear control freak), this was WAR. And since she is also a sociopath, she just isn't capable of any genuine empathy. I love that the judge taunted her by telling her that Timothy had won.

She showed no emotion when he put the picture up. Even her own attorney wouldn’t look at her. Evil woman.

I always appreciate a judge who very clearly speaks from a place of empathy and decency for those who cannot speak for themselves. He did that poor boy a great service.

This woman was a sadist and, for some reason, hated her son. We have these sort of cases in the UK. It’s incomprehensible and sad. Well done to the judge for his impact statement. No remorse shown on the face of the defendant. One hard person.

The judge had to hold all of that pain and sorrow to remain intact as a professional. I applaud his decision and his dedication in honoring this child. God Bless him ❤ He was so over the trash mother.

Even with life in prison, this heinous woman is getting treated far, far better than what she actually deserves. What she did to this boy is unforgiveable.

This is such a horrific case of torture on a defenseless young boy. My heart hurts for that kid.

Timothy has won, This demon has lost. He is safe in the arms of God!!! Need more judges like this. RIP Little Man🙏🙏🙏😭😭

I think this judge is a wise man . He tried to give justice for this poor child .

What a beautiful man that judge is...no arrogance, just love for a little boy who endured a life I can't even think about.

As a father and grandfather, I cannot, CAN NOT, wrap my head around how some people can do things like this to a child.

We need more judges like him, thank you.

The Judge speaks for the victim , remembers him and gave him justice ♡ Rest in Peace little Timothy

Thank God the judge stood up for him in such an eloquent way!!! His words brought tears to my eyes. 😢 RIP little Timothy

I love that he said “Timothy won!”Poor little boy is no longer in pain. These cases sicken me. I’ve never been able to have a child. I will never understand these awful cases.

She was too much of a coward to even look up at the judge while he was honoring the life of her son

I’ve tried a lot of cases in front of a lot of judges and I like this judge from this video. I like that he really paid attention to the trial, reviewed the evidence after the guilty verdict, and thought about everything thoroughly before he made his decision. I’m defense counsel but attorneys can’t ask for more than the judge actually taking the case seriously and thinking through their decisions. Respect to Judge Kacel.

Even her lawyer couldn't stand to look or talk to her. He was 100% there out of obligation. I love that photo of Timothy. What's sad is there is no healthy photo of him as a teenager. :(

I couldn't imagine treating an animal that way, let alone a child with special needs. This was beyond heartbreaking. May this sweet boy rest in peace 🕊️

My wife really finds this judge has wisdom and undrstanding. Thank you God for defending this child.

My mother and step-father abused me. Severely. In unimaginable ways as a small child. One of the most chilling things I remember was her telling me almost every night that she was taking me to the middle of nowhere to abandon me. When really she was going to get drugs. Cases like this remind me of what I've been through, and it makes me feel like i shouldn't be here anymore. Sadistic abuse from a parent leave scars and wounds that can never heal. The memories are so painful that its a knee-jerk reaction to just end it, just to make the memories stop. Thank you for getting justice for just one of the many kids in this world who died long before the breath actually left their bodies...

As an abused child that was placed in foster care at 1 1/2 years of age, I approved this message and sentence in prison!!!

This judge is great. I love how he pointed out that one of her texts said "We can't let Timothy win" and then he went on to say, "Timothy won". That hit hard. He's free now from all pain and suffering, and she gets to sit and rot and spend the rest of her life thinking about what she did.

The snow falling outside is so poetic. Rest in peace Timothy.

We sure need more Judges like this one he truly has a heart he said what he felt as human being not what some that seem like they rehearsed it bless you don't every change because this is.real life and this child deserves to have justice

Go Judge M...you told her the truth in her face. No more lies or excuses. She intentionally tortured this beautiful soul.