Greenville family sentenced for starving a 7-year-old boy

Staff report

MERCER, Pa.

Three members of a Greenville family have been sentenced for starving a 7-year-old boy.

Mercer County Common Pleas Court Judge Christopher St. John handed down prison sentences Thursday to Mary Rader, 28, Deanna Beighly, 48, and Dennis Beighly, 59, reports 21-WFMJ TV, The Vindicator’s broadcast partner.

The three were charged after authorities went to a home in Greenville and found the victim weighing just 25 pounds.

The child was fed only small portions of tuna fish and eggs and was beaten frequently with a belt, especially when he was caught sneaking food, according to reports.

The child was removed from Greenville schools in 2013 to undergo home schooling. At home, he allegedly was not permitted out of the house except on the back porch where he would catch bugs and sometimes eat them.

The child’s mother, Mary Rader pleaded guilty to aggravated assault earlier. She was sentenced to 51/2 to 15 years in state prison.

The child’s grandmother, Deanna Beighly, was sentenced to five to 10 years in a state prison followed by 10 years’ probation. She also pleaded guilty to aggravated assault.

The grandfather, Dennis Beighly, was sentenced to 22 months to five years in state prison on the charge of endangering the welfare of a child.

The boy remains in foster care.