Adopted son sues parents accused of locking him in basement for 23 hours per day

HELENA, Ala. — An Alabama teen is suing his adopted parents, who both pleaded guilty to felony child abuse earlier this month.

The lawsuit was filed on the boy’s behalf by the boy’s older brother, Eddie Carter, who lives in Arizona, WBRC reported. The lawsuit filed against Richard and Cynthia Kelly seeks compensatory damage. The Kellys will be sentenced in February. Prosecutors are seeking 10 years plus time served, while the defense seeks probation, WBRC reported.

The Kellys are accused of locking the boy, then 14, in a basement room for 23 hours per day and feeding him only once a day. When discovered by authorities, the boy was said to be just hours from death, weighing 47 pounds and registering a body temperature of 85 degrees, WBRC reported.

Attorney Roger Appell told WBRC that the boy is in foster care, where he continues to recover from the traumatic experience.

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