ORLANDO, Fla. (WFLA) — An Orlando man will now spend the rest of his life in prison for abusing his stepson, according to a report.
The State Attorney’s Office for Orange and Osceola Counties said Timothy Lee Wilson, 36, was arrested after a server at the Mrs. Potato restaurant noticed that an 11-year-old child was being kept from eating by his family on New Year’s Day.
The server, identified as Flaviane Carvalho, also noticed bruising on the 11-year-old’s face and arms, prompting her to flash a card at the boy asking if he needed help.
When the child nodded yes, Carvalho called the police.
Further investigation found that Wilson tortured his stepson in a variety of ways. Police said the child’s mother, Kristen Swann, knew of the abuse and did not get the boy medical care.
“[The child] had been tortured, maliciously punished, and deprived of food and water for days at a time,” a release from the State Attorney’s Office said. “A search warrant revealed that the victim was kept in a separate hotel room used for storage, away from Mr. Wilson, the victim’s mother, and the younger sibling.
“Duct tape covered the peep hole to the victim’s room, he routinely was deprived of food and beverages, was made to do military-style exercises, hung upside down from a door by his neck and feet, and at one point, handcuffed to a dolly cart on Christmas Day.”
On June 6, Wilson was found guilty on numerous counts of false imprisonment, aggravated child abuse and child neglect.
Wilson was sentenced to life on Friday, Aug. 19, according to NBC affiliate WESH. Meanwhile, Swann was charged with two counts of child neglect.
