Jury finds Detroit couple guilty of child abuse, mom guilty of torture

Detroit — A 6-year-old boy was tied up with zip ties in a filthy trailer because he was getting into things in the home, a jury found Friday.

Errown Scott and Gwendolyn Alexander treated the 6-year-old "like a dog," Wayne County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Abigail McIntyre said during the jury trial last week. They tied his hands and ankles together, and tied him to the couch to keep him from getting into things.

The juries — one for each defendant — delivered their verdicts Friday, finding Scott guilty of three counts of child abuse and finding Alexander guilty of torture and three counts of child abuse. The juries found Scott not guilty of torture and a fourth child abuse charge and Alexander not guilty of the fourth child abuse charge.

Scott and Alexander, who were out on bond, failed to appear in court Friday. A warrant is out for their arrest.

Scott's attorney, Michael McCarthy, and Alexander's attorney, William Glenn, argued during the trial that prosecutors did not have the evidence to prove their cases.

Police found three kids ages 6 and younger living in the trailer in Detroit. The 6-year-old had swollen wrists and ankles with marks around them and bruises on his face and up and down his legs, McIntyre said. The inside of the trailer was filthy, with food left out and containers of urine and feces, the prosecution said, and there was no running water in the trailer.

The boy testified during the trial that Scott ziptied his hands in front of his body and tied his ankles together because he was getting into things. His younger sister said he was tied up when he got in trouble.

He said he asked Scott and his mother to stop tying him up because it was hurting him, but they didn't listen.

Scott told police he would hit the 6-year-old on his buttocks with a belt or a sandal, and Alexander also admitted to tying up her child and hitting him in the face, McIntyre said.

When the 6-year-old came into the courtroom to testify, Alexander buried her face in her hands and began to cry.

kberg@detroitnews.com