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Stepmother Gets 35 Years For Keeping Boy In Dog Cage

CROWN POINT, Ind. (STMW) -- The stepmother of a 13-year-old boy who was confined in a dog cage for the last year of his life was sentenced Tuesday to 35 years in prison for neglect of a dependent.

Kimberly Leona Kubina, 47, of the Black Oak section of Gary, Ind., said she was remorseful for the April 2, 2009, death of Christian Choate, who suffered years of abuse at the hands of his father, the Post-Tribune is reporting.

The boy's emaciated body was found buried under a storage shed in 2011 in the mobile home park where the family lived.

Christian Choate
Christian Choate (Supplied to CBS)

Kubina pleaded guilty in May and had agreed to testify against her former husband, Riley Lowell Choate. Her plea agreement outlined a sentence of 25 to 35 years.

Choate, 40, is serving an 80-year sentence for neglect and being an habitual offender.

(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2013. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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