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3 who admitted to teen torture get 30 years

Three adults who admitted to holding captive and torturing a 16-year-old boy inside a central California home for more than a year are each headed to prison for at least 30 years.
/ Source: The Associated Press

Three adults who admitted to beating, burning and holding captive a teenager inside a Central California home for more than a year will each spend at least 30 years in prison.

Michael Schumacher, 36, his wife Kelly Lau, 32, and the teen's then-legal guardian Caren Ramirez, 45, learned their fate Monday during their sentencing in San Joaquin County Superior Court after each pleaded guilty in October to more than a dozen felonies committed against Kyle Ramirez.

Sydney Perry, the boy's aunt, stared down and admonished the defendants directly during her emotional statement to Judge Terrence Van Oss.

"My family waited two years for this day to face you sadistic, demented monsters who tortured and abused Kyle every day — every day," said Sydney Perry, the teen's aunt. "And where you're going, you're going to be with monsters just like you."

Perry was especially harsh towards Caren Ramirez.

"You're an evil and dispicable woman. You're trash and you shoud've been taken out a long time ago. Today is your day to be taken out."

Van Oss then handed down the lengthy sentences: 34 years for Caren Ramirez, 33 years for Lau and 30 years for Schumacher. The terms were the maximum allowed under their plea deals.

"There really is no explanation for this. I just can't imagine what was going through these folks' minds," Van Oss said. "All the words in the world are not going to do any good."

Prosecutors said the teenager was beaten, burned and starved at the Tracy home of Schumacher and Lau.

The emaciated teen testified two months ago that he fled the home after hearing Schumacher and Waiters saying they were going to "chop me up and throw me in the delta."

Ramized recalled that he escaped by running through a backyard, jumping on a trampoline, hopping a retaining wall and stumbling into the nearby health club.

A recently released video shows the frightened, shackled teen covered in soot and bruises entering the club hunched and clutching the chain, stunning employees who called 911.

Ramirez would later tell police that he was beaten, burned, cut, chained to a table and forced to sleep in a fireplace.

Now, 18, Ramirez on Monday was surrounded by family and friends, choosing not to speak during the sentencing.

However, his brother, Austin Lousignont, said he is thankful justice would be served.

"Thank God (Kyle) had enough strength to jump over a fence and be here today," Lousignont said. "It means a lot to me these people will be put away for what they deserved."

A fourth defendant, Anthony Waiters, 31, the couple's next-door neighbor, was convicted at trial last month. He faces life in prison when he's sentenced Jan. 18.

Prosecutor Angela Hayes said Monday that she's "dumbfounded," and still can't explain two years later why the abuse occurred.

"I just know there are four people in the world who should have never met," Hayes said. "Somehow or another they were on some odd level, mental level, that they were able to do this."

Kyle Ramirez's aunt, Sydney Perry, said her nephew is resilient.

"He survived. He is loved. He is respected and he will never be hurt again by these people," Perry said. "He will overcome, he will succeed in life and he will heal.

And those people will rot in hell."