ROGERS COUNTY, Okla. (TCD) — A judge has handed a man six life sentences for abusing and torturing his stepdaughter with a shock dollar and other objects for several days in 2020.
Court records show Gustus Pennington pleaded guilty May 10 to five counts of child abuse, one count of child neglect, and one count of conspiracy while his wife, Jeannette Wilson, pleaded no contest to the same seven charges.
According to court documents cited by KJRH-TV, Pennington put a shock collar on Wilson’s 3-year-old daughter and pressed the shock button so often that it ran out of battery after two days. He also reportedly bound the little girl to a table so she could be restrained while he beat her.
Wilson reportedly periodically left the home when Pennington abused her daughter and never sought help. A judge sentenced her to life in prison for the crimes as well.
KOKI-TV, which also cites court documents, reports Pennington also made the victim stand in cold showers for extended amounts of time and hit her with wood. According to KOKI, Pennington locked the girl in a room and forced her to use a cinderblock as a toilet.
Pennington reportedly tried to claim status as a Native American under the McGirt ruling, which meant he would have faced federal charges. That caused a delay in the case, but the local court determined Pennington had “ample opportunity to obtain Tribal membership with the Creek Nation after having attained majority age,” but he never did.
The court also reportedly noted Pennington had a fascination with Nazis and wasn’t even a member of the tribe when the abuse occurred. Prosecutors also argued he was on meth when he hurt Wilson’s daughter.
KOTV-TV reports the little girl has been adopted. Assistant Rogers County District Attorney Kali Strain described her as “in a good place” and “happy.”
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