Georgia Parents Get Life Sentence

A man and wife in Georgia were sentenced today to life plus 30 years in prison for the beating death of their son.

Court Prosecutors say that Sonya and Joseph Smith beat up their son Josef, confined him to a wooden box and locked him in the closet for hours at a time. The parents claim that the boy died after a family gathering in the kitchen where they prayed and 'attended' church online through the internet. They say he passed out and never regained consciousness. Their lawyer argued that his cause of death wasn't looked at closely enough and that the couple is not guilty. The child passed away in October of 2003.

Joseph, the father, does admit to hitting his son frequently. He justifies that by saying his son had behavioral issues and claimed to be a "soldier of the devil."

Tuesday, the Superior Judge read the couple their sentencing saying indicating what they did should be punishable to the fullest extent of the law, life sentence plus additional time.

Joseph and Sonja looked quietly at one another after their future was announced but didn't say anything at the hearing. They did have about two dozen supporters in the courtroom some of who spoke to reporters and described them as loving parents.

The family attends Remnant Fellowship Church. It originally was created as a Christian diet group before expanding into the church back in the 1980's. Police searched through the church in June of 2004 as part of their initial investigation into the murder but as of this time church owners/employees have not been held accountable for any wrong doings in young Josef Smith's death.

Gwen Shamblin, church leader and creator says that they do not preach about discipline to their members. She claims they leave punishment up to parents to decide and they have no influence in what happens at home in regards to behavior management.