A LaPorte County mother has been sentenced to 42 years in prison for her connection with the brutal torture-death of her four-year-old son, Judah Morgan.
Tensions ran high in the courtroom of the LaPorte County Courthouse on Friday during Mary Yoder's sentencing.
Court records showed that in August of 2023, nearly two years after Judah's death, Yoder pled guilty to charges of neglect of a dependent resulting in death, and domestic battery. LaPorte Circuit Court Judge Thomas Alevizos sentenced Yoder to 37 years in prison for neglect of a dependent resulting in death, Level 1 felony; and 5 years for domestic battery to a child, a Level 5 felony.
Judge Alevizos had previously sentenced Judah's father, Alan Morgan, in Nov of 2022, to 70 years in prison for Judah's murder.
The couple, who were both Judah's biological parents, had never had custody of the boy prior to April 7, 2021, just two months shy of Judah's fourth birthday.
Just a little more than six months later, on Oct 11, 2021, during what was supposed to be a "six-month home trial," under Indiana DCS, police would discover Judah's abused, lifeless body inside of his home in rural Hamlet.
During Friday's sentencing, La Porte County Sheriff Dept Detective Jacob Koch read outloud the vulgar, hateful text messages Yoder had sent to her friends and family during the late summer of 2021.
In the text messages, Yoder complained about potty training issues with Judah.
Despite Yoder insisting that Judah had only been beaten by his father, investigators stated that not only did Yoder witness nearly all of the beatings in the months leading up to the boys death, but that she was also an active participant.
It was revealed in court that Yoder's fingerprints had been on the duct tape found in the basement that had been used to tie up Judah.
According to court documents, the four-year-old would often be sent to the basement for days at a time, a punishment for not being 'potty trained.' It was noted the basement had been unfinished, cold, and had no working lights.
Prior to the six-month home trial with DCS, for the first three-and-a-half years of his life Judah had been raised by the Hullett family. The Hullett's had hoped to eventually be able to adopt the boy.
Jenna Hullett says although Yoder's sentencing was supposed to give closure, Jenna and husband, Phil Hullett, both agreed that the sentencing will never bring Judah back.
Although clear evidence was presented to prove that Yoder had been an accomplice in Judah's abuse, Yoder still addressed the court with a five page speech about how she 'missed' her sweet boy, and his laughter.
Yoder claimed she wished she had done more to protect him prior to his murder.
Judge Alevizos responded to Yoder's speech by presenting a photo of Judah after his death, showing the boy covered in dark bruises from head to toe.
As Yoder held her head down, refusing to look at the photos, the courtroom broke out in sobs before a woman sitting in the courtroom gallery screamed out, "just look at him!"
"Exactly," Judge Alevizos responded.
Giving Yoder the maximum sentence, before adjourning, Judge Alevizos state that Judah's case was something that would always be on the minds of those involved, but that at least the process is over.
Judah's justice and push for change still isn't over for the Hullett's. This past October, a federal lawsuit against three Indiana Department of Child Services employees was filed because of Hullett, and the case with Judah.
The three DCS employees are accused of 'performing sham investigations, downplaying claims and concerns from relatives about abuse and neglect or declaring them unfounded without court ordered services for Judah, not performing court ordered drug tests for the parents, omitting information from communication and reports on Judah's court appointed special advocate, providing and/or inserting false information in the reports and investigation, and/or otherwise creating an inaccurate report and not following up with DCS policies created for the purpose of protecting children.
Judah's death has also inspired other changes, like the law honored in his name in May of 2022.
The Indiana law states that a child should never be put in an abusive and potentially life-threatening situation, and terminates dangerous and abusive parent-child relationships. 'Judah's Law' also gives unlicensed caregivers, like Hullett's, the right to intervene as a party in court in the case of children needing services.
.jpg)
.jpg)
