Left: Shawn Stone. Right: Taylor Schaefer (Volusia County Sheriff's Office).
A Florida man who inflicted about 45 injuries on his girlfriend's 5-year-old son, handcuffed him for nearly a day and placed the boy in a dog cage is headed to prison for decades.
Shawn Stone, 36, was sentenced to 45 years in prison after he pleaded no contest to a slew of charges including child abuse, child neglect and false imprisonment, according to the Volusia County Sheriff's Office.
Authorities said Stone would "repeatedly beat and torture" the victim while the boy's mother, 31-year-old Taylor Schaefer, would stand by and do nothing.
"I know Scumbag Shawn Stone will be treated better in his cage than the victim was, but at least he's no longer free to inflict pain and suffering on innocent kids," Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood said.
Schaefer pleaded no contest to aggravated child abuse, conspiracy to commit child neglect with great bodily harm and failure to report child abuse, among other charges. A judge earlier this year sentenced her to 60 years behind bars.
"Cases like this ignite the shock, disbelief and anger of any loving parent or caregiver," State Attorney R.J. Larizza said. "The ongoing vicious abuse caused chronic and profound pain and suffering that no punishment can erase."
Authorities began investigating in May 2023 when Schaefer had a "gut feeling" that her live-in boyfriend, 35-year-old Shawn M. Stone, was abusing her then 5-year-old son. She checked the home surveillance video, which confirmed her suspicions. Then she called the police.
But she failed to mention to police that she was present in the house for much of the abuse and never stopped or reported it.
"On several occasions the boy was visibly injured and limping in her presence, but received no care or medical attention. Video showed he was not only beaten, but repeatedly left with his hands bound behind his back for hours at a time," deputies wrote. "The victim was also tied up, placed in a dog cage and often punished via deprivation of food."
Stone was arrested on May 9, 2023, after he allegedly beat the boy with a mop handle and also punched and kicked the child before he fled from cops on a four-wheeler.
Cops then collected video from inside the home.
As Law&Crime previously reported, footage showed the boy bound with his hands behind his back for hours at a time in the days leading up to Stone's arrest, deputies said.
In another incident, Stone tied the boy's hands behind his back from 6:43 p.m. through the night and into the next day at 2:02 p.m., which was roughly 19 hours.
"On another occasion, his legs, feet, arms and torso were bound for at least an hour while Stone stood over him," deputies said.
There was also footage that showed moments in which Stone yelled and kicked the already bruised and injured boy, according to the sheriff's office. Schaefer would enter the picture and tell the child to stand up straight. The video also revealed that the sounds of the abuse reverberated throughout the home.
That 5-year-old sustained dozens of injuries, deputies said, with doctors noting that about 45 of those injuries were visible. The boy also suffered internal injuries, including a fractured skull.
Deputies noted two other victims, including a child who was allegedly forced to ingest scalding hot liquid.
"It was also determined that another child in the home was forced to drink boiling water, sprayed with boiling water, and beaten with several household objects," law enforcement said. "That child also witnessed the brutal abuse inflicted on the younger victim."
In addition to watching the younger victim's abuse, a third child in the residence did not get proper nutrition or care for a serious medical condition, authorities said.
The kids were taken from the residence and placed in what deputies called a "safe environment."
Chitwood shared a link to a GoFundMe campaign to support the children.
"The torture these kids endured is hard to imagine," he said. "The good news is they're in safe hands now, and their scumbag abusers will have to answer for what they did."
Alberto Luperon contributed to this report