TUCSON, Ariz. — A 39-year-old Arizona man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for the death of his 9-year-old son, whose decomposing body was discovered on a couch inside a home littered with garbage, soiled diapers, and bottles of urine, according to court documents.
Joseph Antonsen received the maximum sentence from Pima County Superior Court Judge Kimberly Ortiz on Friday after pleading guilty to two counts of child abuse. In addition to the prison term, he was also sentenced to 20 years of probation.
Authorities discovered the child’s remains inside Antonsen’s Tucson home, which was described in court as being filled with hazardous conditions, including black widow and brown recluse spiders. The boy had reportedly been dead for days before police were called.
During the sentencing, Antonsen’s defense attorney cited untreated mental illness and substance abuse as contributing factors. However, Judge Ortiz said the child’s death was “entirely preventable.”
“You knew you needed help and, for whatever reason — even with the resources around you from your parents, both emotional and financial — you were not able to correct your behavior and the devastation that you were surrounding your child with,” Ortiz said, according to KVOA.
