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Guilty verdict for woman in Brevard County starvation trial

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — A jury found a woman guilty on Friday night in a case where she was accused of locking up and denying food to her boyfriend's young son as the two lived with her in Titusville in 2012.

"The defendant, Sharon Ashley Glass, is guilty of aggravated child abuse," the court clerk read.

It took the jury around 90 minutes to find Glass guilty on all eight charges.

Glass could spend the rest of her life behind bars.

She was accused of locking up and and not feeding her boyfriend's son.

Prosecutors said the 12-year-old weighed just 40 pounds when police found him on the floor of the couple's bathroom, after receiving a tip.

Prosecutors said it was a tough case to deal with.

"It's very difficult for everyone involved. It's very difficult for us, as prosecutors, to do these kinds of things. Our jobs are to pursue justice and that's what we did," said prosecutor William Scheiner.

Glass told the jury Friday that it was not her responsibility to care for the severely malnourished boy.

Glass said the boy's father, Michael Marshall, was responsible for the boy's discipline and she feared for her own safety.

During testimony, Glass explained how she didn't notice Marshall's son was wasting away. She said she noticed the victim's face was thin, but his baggy clothes hid his malnourished frame.

"He was always wearing baggy sweatshirts and stuff," Glass said.

Glass said she never disciplined the boy. She also said that she wanted out of the relationship with Marshall because he was violent and threatened to kill her on more than one occasion.

"I begged him to stop," said Glass. "I was so scared. Mike threatened to kill me multiple times."

Prosecutors pointed out that in the 4½ years Marshall and Glass were together, she never got a job.

"I strongly believed he was going to kill me, that I was his true love and he didn't want anyone else to have me," said Glass.

Marshall, 40, is also facing charges. He has a hearing scheduled in late January.

Glass is scheduled to be sentenced in March.

Prosecutors said the jury made the right decision Friday night.

"I'm happy for the victim's sake, that this chapter in his life is closed. He's a very brave young man and I'm proud of him," said Scheiner.