A mother and son accused of putting a man in a wheelchair and then murdering him as part of a “mob” attack have learned their fates.

On Monday, Samantha Watts, 42, was sentenced to 45 years, and her son, Payton Watts, 18, to 35 years in prison after both admitted to murder charges. These sentences are part of a plea agreement announced by the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit Solicitor’s Office in South Carolina. Prosecutors requested a sentence of 30 to 40 years for Payton under the condition that Samantha pleaded guilty without receiving any prosecutorial recommendations.

The incident dates back to 2023, occurring between January 8 and 9. According to the solicitor’s office, Corey Adam Soles, 29, suffered a beating that resulted in severe head injuries while confined to a wheelchair. It is alleged that Soles had a previously broken leg from an earlier attack, which involved Payton Watts using a blunt object.

Prosecutors painted a troubling picture in court of Samantha Watts running a “drug distributing business.” She also “controlled her family, specifically using Payton as her muscle, who was 16 at the time of the murder,” the solicitor’s office added. Some of Samantha Watts’ other children also pleaded guilty to being involved.

Amber Watts, 23, pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact to murder and was sentenced to six years in prison – suspended release – and five years of probation. She was suspected of hiding evidence from the crime scene and helping move Soles’ body.

Jonathan Watts, 21, pleaded guilty to first-degree assault and battery, and he was sentenced to time served.

Soles was reported missing on Jan. 10, 2023, and his body was found six days later in the Galivants Ferry area of Horry County, South Carolina, WPDE reported that month.

At least eight people were arrested in the “mob” attack on Soles, including Ryan James Porter and Joshua Thomas Brown, then 25 and 20, respectively. The other arrests are believed to have been minors and thus their names were not released.

Prosecutors said in court that the mob attack landed Soles in the wheelchair, and from there he died due to further attacks. It was Soles’ sale of surveillance equipment to Samantha Watts that served as key evidence for prosecutors, the Myrtle Beach Sun News reported. She is believed to have suspected him of stealing from her drug operation.

“One thing that sticks out in my mind is, anyone who’s ever broken a bone or broken more than one, it’s a very painful thing,” said South Carolina Twelfth Judicial Circuit Judge Michael Nettles, per the Post and Courier. “Can you imagine what it would be like to break one of the biggest bones in your body and sit there for 11 hours? I take that into consideration as well.”

Prosecutors also said that Payton Watts was given drugs by his mother beginning at the age of 12 as a way of “grooming” him to work for her. According to prosecutor Brandon Lanier, Samantha Watts “had complete control over everything in that area.”

Soles was from Chadbourn, North Carolina. He left behind a wife and three children, according to his obituary.

“Corey ‘Adam’ Soles was a loving father, a son, a hard worker, and a man who loved the outdoors,” Lanier said on Monday. “He was 29 years old when he was murdered. We hope that this outcome provides Mr. Soles’ family with at least a sense of justice, because nothing will replace their son.”