Woman gets prison in death of man with maggot-filled wound

READING, Pa. (AP) — A woman was sentenced Tuesday to up to 10 years in prison in the death of her disabled boyfriend, whose foot wounds became severely infected and filled with maggots.

Stacey Ann Cunnius, 43, pleaded no contest Tuesday in Berks County to third-degree murder and neglect of care for a dependent person, The Reading Eagle (http://bit.ly/2p0UmBo) reported. Under such a plea, a defendant doesn’t admit guilt but acknowledges that prosecutors can prove the charges.

Cunnius’ boyfriend, Jessie McCrimmon, had spina bifida, a birth defect in which the spinal cord doesn’t develop properly.

Prosecutors said the 43-year-old McCrimmon died in July 2015 because he didn’t receive proper care and “endured considerable pain.” Investigators said McCrimmon arrived at an emergency room the previous month in septic shock and with severe injuries to his feet, which had maggots in them. He was missing toes on his right foot and had bone exposed. His left foot was being held on by necrotic flesh.

Judge James Bucci said it was clear that Cunnius, who has physical and mental health issues, should never have taken on the responsibility of being McCrimmon’s caregiver. He noted that she was barely able to care for herself.

“She is not guilty for what she did, but for what she did not do,” the judge said.

He sentenced her to four to 10 years in prison.

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This story has been corrected to show that McCrimmon died in 2015, not last year.

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Information from: Reading Eagle, http://www.readingeagle.com/

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