Stepmom gets life in prison for torturing, killing boy who was found 'wholly covered' in feces

LEBANON COUNTY, Pa. (TCD) -- A 37-year-old was sentenced to life in prison for torturing her young stepson for years and ultimately causing his death.

Penn Live reports Lebanon County Judge Bradford Charles handed Kimberly Maurer the sentence without parole for her role in 12-year-old Maxwell Schollenberger's untimely passing.

Bradford said at the sentencing, "I have always been raised to believe there is no such thing as an unforgivable sin, but this is as close as it gets."

Maurer was convicted March 23 of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, endangering the welfare of a child, and conspiracy to commit endangering the welfare of a child, according to the Lebanon County District Attorney's Office. The jury deliberated for less than an hour before reaching their verdict.

Maurer's husband and Maxwell's father, Scott Schollenberger, pleaded guilty in February to criminal homicide, endangering the welfare of a child, and conspiracy. He was also sentenced to life in prison.

According to the District Attorney's Office, on May 26, 2020, Annville Township Police Department officers went to a home on South White Oak Street for a report of a deceased 12-year-old. Responding officers requested assistance from the Lebanon County Detective Bureau "due to the horrific conditions they discovered inside the residence."

Max's malnourished body was reportedly found "completely naked and sprawled across the bed," and both the bed and body were "wholly covered in fecal matter."

Detectives reportedly noted "claw marks" on the sheets as well as "piles of moldy fecal matter under the frame itself."

The windows in Max's bedroom were screwed shut and the shades taped down so there was no way to see anything outside. Maurer and Schollenberger reportedly said they installed hooks outside his room "for the purpose of locking him inside."

An autopsy showed Max died from starvation, malnutrition, and blunt force trauma injuries to his face, body, and head. He reportedly weighed 47.5 pounds at his time of death.

The District Attorney's Office said Maurer and Schollenberger did not enroll Max in school, and Maurer referred to the victim as "the little a--hole."

The statement ends, "The Defendant chose to conceal Maxwell, lie about his existence, and execute daily torture on his body.  The Defendant never hugged the child, never told Maxwell she loved him, and never tried to help or free him.  While she killed Maxwell’s body, the Defendant first killed every shred of his humanity."

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