A Michigan mom, Elizabeth Dubois, 43, was sentenced on March 23 to life in prison without the possibility of parole for felony murder. The sentencing follows a January jury verdict that also found her guilty of first-degree child abuse, for which she received a concurrent 15-year sentence.
The case stems from the 2019 death of her son, Austin Raymond, who died from a rare form of throat cancer known as chordoma.
Raymond first identified a lump on his neck in July 2016 at the age of 15. According to testimony provided by Raymond during a preliminary examination before his death, his symptoms worsened over several years until he was unable to eat solid food or speak easily.
Court records and reports from WJRT indicate that relatives and Raymond’s stepfather repeatedly requested that Dubois seek medical treatment for the boy.
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Prosecutor John Miller stated that Dubois claimed she lacked the time and money to obtain care. Despite a Child Protective Services investigation at the end of 2016 urging medical intervention, Raymond was not admitted to the University of Michigan hospital until the cancer had progressed significantly.
Medical experts testified during the investigation that Raymond’s cancer would have been treatable had he received timely medical care. By the time of his death in May 2019, the 19-year-old weighed 83 pounds.
The legal proceedings began as a child abuse case while Raymond was still alive. Following his death, prosecutors appealed to the Michigan Supreme Court to add a felony murder charge, which led to the recent conviction and life sentence.
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