A Michigan judge on March 13, 2024, sentenced Hunter Locke-Hughes, right, to 7 1/2 years and 30 years in prison for drowning his girlfriend’s 6-year-old son, Terry Adams, left, who was born with a genetic condition. (Terry: Obituary; Locke-Hughes: Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office)
Prosecutors in Michigan plan to appeal the sentence of a man who drowned his girlfriend’s 6-year-old son — who was born with a rare and debilitating genetic condition — in a bathtub because they say the punishment “fails to reflect the gravity of the offense.”
A jury last month convicted 22-year-old Hunter Locke-Hughes for first-degree child abuse and involuntary manslaughter in the 2021 death of Terry Adams. The jury acquitted Locke-Hughes of murder.
Macomb County Circuit Court Judge Kathryn Viviano on Wednesday sentenced Locke-Hughes to 7 1/2 years to 30 years for first-degree child abuse, which prosecutors say was nearly 4 years below the sentencing guideline. First-degree child abuse carries a maximum punishment of life in prison. Viviano also sentenced him a little over three years for involuntary manslaughter, a 15-year felony. Locke-Hughes will be up for parole in about five years as he has already served about two years in jail.
“When a sentencing fails to reflect the gravity of the offense, we must appeal it on behalf of the victim, victim’s family, and the community,” Macomb County Prosecutor Peter J. Lucido said in a statement.
Locke-Hughes was giving Terry a bath on Dec. 28, 2021, when he became frustrated the boy vomited and proceeded to hold him under water. Defense attorneys argued Terry died by choking on his vomit and noted medical examiners could not determine a manner of death, the Macomb Daily reported. His attorneys asked the judge to go below the guidelines because of the murder acquittal.
Terry’s paternal family members were livid about the sentence. Dawn Joseph, Terry’s grandmother, and Shannon Grabowsky, his aunt, were emotional after the hearing in an interview with reporters.
“What do you want me to say? It’s not enough,” Joseph said while crying.
Grabowsky said she couldn’t believe the judge went below the sentencing guidelines.
“It’s a smack in the face,” she said, according to the Daily.
Terry was born with CHARGE syndrome, a rare genetic disease which targets a child’s nerves, eyes, heart and ears, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Terry’s obituary said that despite the long odds, Terry learned to walk and partially see.
“He loved to spend time playing with his iPad and learning new things daily. He had a beautiful smile that could light up a room. Terry will be greatly missed by his family,” the tribute said.
The Detroit News detailed Terry’s case in a report about Michigan children who died from child abuse. Child Protective Services was called six times in the months leading up to the boy’s death for injuries such as bruises, a broken arm and black eyes. A CPS safety plan barred Locke-Hughes from being around Terry because of abuse allegations, the News reported.
Terry’s family feel as if they’ve been failed.
“Was justice done here?” Grabowsky said, according to the Daily. “I don’t know. I guess because it’s not the judge’s kids or grandkids, they don’t care. I guess we should’ve expected it. First CPS dropped the ball and now the judicial system.”
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