Couple Sentenced to Jail for Starving Child

A mother and father accused of starving their newborn child to death in 2010 have been sentenced to jail.

Lewis Gordon IV, 30, will serve a 7-year prison term and Ashley Gordon, 28, will serve 9 years, according to the Post and Courier. The couple pleaded guilty to the homicide by neglect charges on Tuesday.

At the time of their arrest, police reported that the Mount Pleasant couple's home was in squalor and that their 9-month-old son was nearly two pounds lighter than when he came home from the hospital, according to Live 5 News.

In court Thursday, the couple's attorney pleaded for mercy, according ABC News 4. The Gordon's lives were chaotic as they battled financial woes, their attorney said. Charles Gordon was apparently suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder associated with military combat service.

The mother told the judge she didn't grasp the "serious" state of her son's health, Live 5 reported. Prosecutors allege the child suffered from "marasmus," a serious malnourishment often found in children who do not consume enough calories or protein.

The child had only been to the doctor once since it was born. The couple said they couldn't afford medical care because neither had health insurance.

On Thursday, Circuit Court Judge J.C. Nicholson said the couple should have known something was wrong with their child and acted. The couple has two other children who were apparently healthy. They were removed from the Gordon's care at the time of their arrest.