Left: Shawn Stone. Right: Taylor Schaefer (Volusia County Sheriff’s Office).
A Florida man who allegedly inflicted roughly 45 injuries on his girlfriend’s 5-year-old son, restrained him with handcuffs for nearly a day and locked him inside a dog cage has been sentenced to decades in prison.
Shawn Stone, 36, received a 45-year prison sentence after pleading no contest to multiple charges, including child abuse, child neglect and false imprisonment, the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office said.
Investigators said Stone repeatedly beat and tortured the child while the boy’s mother, 31-year-old Taylor Schaefer, remained nearby without intervening.
“I know Scumbag Shawn Stone will be treated better in his cage than the victim was, but at least he’s no longer free to inflict pain and suffering on innocent kids,” Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood said.
Schaefer pleaded no contest to aggravated child abuse, conspiracy to commit child neglect with great bodily harm and failure to report child abuse, among other offenses. A judge sentenced her earlier this year to 60 years in prison.
“Cases like this ignite the shock, disbelief and anger of any loving parent or caregiver,” State Attorney R.J. Larizza said. “The ongoing vicious abuse caused chronic and profound pain and suffering that no punishment can erase.”
The investigation began in May 2023 when Schaefer said she developed a “gut feeling” that her live-in boyfriend, 35-year-old Shawn M. Stone, was abusing her son. After reviewing surveillance footage from the home and confirming her suspicions, she contacted police.
However, Schaefer did not tell officers that she had been present in the home during much of the abuse or that she had failed to stop or report it.
“On several occasions the boy was visibly injured and limping in her presence, but received no care or medical attention. Video showed he was not only beaten, but repeatedly left with his hands bound behind his back for hours at a time,” deputies wrote. “The victim was also tied up, placed in a dog cage and often punished via deprivation of food.”
Stone was arrested on May 9, 2023, after he allegedly beat the boy with a mop handle and also punched and kicked the child before he fled from cops on a four-wheeler.
Deputies obtained surveillance video recorded inside the residence.
As Law&Crime previously reported, investigators said the footage showed the boy restrained with his hands behind his back for hours on multiple occasions in the days before Stone’s arrest.
In one instance, Stone allegedly kept the child’s hands tied behind his back from 6:43 p.m. until 2:02 p.m. the following day—approximately 19 hours.
“On another occasion, his legs, feet, arms and torso were bound for at least an hour while Stone stood over him,” deputies said.
The sheriff’s office said other footage captured Stone yelling at and kicking the bruised and injured child. Schaefer reportedly entered the scene and instructed the boy to stand up straight. Investigators said the recordings also made clear that the abuse could be heard throughout the home.
Doctors documented approximately 45 visible injuries on the 5-year-old, according to deputies. The child also suffered internal injuries, including a fractured skull.
Authorities identified two additional victims, including a child who was allegedly forced to consume scalding liquid.
“It was also determined that another child in the home was forced to drink boiling water, sprayed with boiling water, and beaten with several household objects,” law enforcement said. “That child also witnessed the brutal abuse inflicted on the younger victim.”
A third child living in the residence allegedly lacked adequate nutrition and care for a serious medical condition, deputies said.
Authorities removed all of the children from the home and placed them in what deputies described as a “safe environment.”
Chitwood shared a link to a GoFundMe campaign to support the children.
“The torture these kids endured is hard to imagine,” he said. “The good news is they’re in safe hands now, and their scumbag abusers will have to answer for what they did.”
Alberto Luperon contributed to this report
The post Man who inflicted 45 injuries on girlfriend’s 5-year-old son, locked him in cage, receives a year in prison for each injury first appeared on Law & Crime.
