Michigan couple jailed for life after the torture and murder of his daughter
A Michigan man and his wife will spend the rest of their lives in prison after they were convicted of murdering his five-year-old daughter who had pneumonia and weighed just 25 pounds when she died.
Andrew and Hilery Maison, of Port Huron, were sentenced to life in prison without parole in St. Clair County Circuit Court on Thursday, the Times Herald of Port Huron reported.
They were convicted in January of first-degree murder, child abuse and torture.
Scroll down for video
Andrew (center, during their sentencing) and Hilery Maison (right), of Port Huron, were sentenced to life in prison without parole after they were convicted of murdering his five-year-old daughter
Hilery Maison called 911 on May 26 last year, and responding emergency crews found her stepdaughter, Mackenzie, unresponsive at their Port Huron home, 60 miles northeast of Detroit.
Mackenzie was taken to a hospital where she was pronounced dead.
Mackenzie's three-year-old sister, Makayla, who weighed just 17 pounds, was also taken to a hospital where she was treated for dehydration and malnutrition.
RELATED ARTICLES
Model who tried to hire a hitman to kill her husband's... 
EXCLUSIVE: 'It was just a freak accident, we won't give up...
Share this article
ShareMakayla has recovered and has doubled her weight since last year.
Authorities said that both girls were severely malnourished and dehydrated.
During the trial, the court heard a girl aged three would normally weigh around 30 pounds and a girl of five should be about 40 pounds, though this can vary based on height and other factors.
Mackenzie (above) died after suffering from severe dehydration and malnutrition and weighing just 25 pounds
'It's unfathomable how parents could not only allow that to happen, but to purposefully make that happen,' Senior Assistant Prosecutor Mona Armstrong said on Thursday.
Michael Boucher, Hilery Maison's attorney, told jurors during the trial that there was no evidence the couple intended for Mackenzie to die.
Police said the Maisons attributed the weight loss to picky eating.
Judge Daniel Kelly said somebody should have noticed something before the children became so ill.
'What puzzles me is how, in a community so dedicated to combating child abuse and neglect, these conditions go undetected until it is too late,' Kelly said at the sentencing.
Hilery Maison wipes away a tear as she is handcuffed after being found guilty for the felony murder and torture of her five-year-old stepdaughter, Mackenzie
Andrew Maison looks down as he is handcuffed after being found guilty for the felony murder and torture of his five-year-old daughter Mackenzie
Hilery and Andrew Maison speak during a brief break in the second day of their trial in January
'Those who saw and chose to do nothing are, in my mind, equally responsible for this crime. They must share the blame.'
In January, Armstrong said the girls achieved some level of justice thanks to the verdict.
'It doesn't change what happened and it doesn't bring back Mackenzie,' Armstrong told the Times Herald.
'It does serve a measure of justice. But it should never have gotten to this point.'
The Maisons' six-day trial heard from more than 20 witnesses, including family members, friends, firefighters, paramedics, police and medical experts.
Andrew (left) and Hilery (right) Maison were found guilty of felony murder, torture and first-degree child abuse
Mackenzie (above) was found dead at the couple's home on May 26 weighing just 25 pounds, while her three-year-old sister Makayla, who managed to survive, weighed just 17 pounds
According to 911 calls played in court during the trial, Hilery Maison called dispatchers before 8.30pm on the day of her death.
She told them the five-year-old girl was 'rebelling' against food, but then later said that she wasn't breathing.
Paramedics spent roughly 45 minutes attempting to resuscitate her, but she was pronounced dead in hospital.
Medical experts testified that Mackenzie was malnourished, dehydrated, had pneumonia and was bruised.
Her younger sister was taken to the children's hospital in Detroit for treatment of malnourishment and has since doubled her weight while in foster care.
It was revealed during the trial that neither girl had seen a doctor for at least a year prior to Mackenzie's death.
Emergency crews found Mackenzie unresponsive at the Port Huron home (above) after Hilery Maison called 911 on May 26
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pa3IpbCmmZmhe6S7ja6iaKaVrMBwrdGtoJyklWKAdYSVcWlrZ32esKm1xpqlZpufqr2tsYyjmKKklZl6rbXFnmStp6KpwrOxjKasq5yVp3qntdWeZLKdkad6sLjDZpuarZedwaa%2BjLCcop%2BYmrFuttSsq2ZqZWK9sMHNnapnoKSiuQ%3D%3D