Delaware News

Prosecutors Secure Convictions Against Serial Child Abusers

Department of Justice | Department of Justice Press Releases | News | Date Posted: Wednesday, October 18, 2023


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The Delaware Department of Justice has secured multiple felony convictions against a Kent County couple charged with the serial abuse and torture of their children, Attorney General Kathy Jennings announced Wednesday.

“These are the cases that keep us up at night,” said Attorney General Jennings. “The pain that these children endured — and that it was inflicted by people who should have been their protectors — is unthinkable. Thanks to the efforts of our prosecutors and of our partners in law enforcement, these abusers will be in prison for years to come. Their victims are safe now — but I also know that they have a long road of healing ahead of them. They are in all of our hearts today.”

Over a period of 20 months, Mary Vinson, 46, and Charles Vinson, 37, are alleged to have abused their children, including making them stand for long periods of time; withholding food; force feeding them; and violently and repetitively physically assaulting the victims. Both children, who have since been transferred into the custody of the Division of Family services, were hospitalized several times due to the severity of the abuse, which was caught on video by cameras the parents placed in the children’s room.

On September 26, the Vinsons pleaded guilty to the following crimes:

Mary Vinson:

  • Six counts of Child Abuse 1st Degree, a Class B Violent Felony
  • Seven counts of Attempted Child Abuse 1stDegree, a Class B Violent Felony
  • Two counts of Kidnapping 1st Degree, a Class B Violent Felony
  • Three counts of Attempted Assault 2ndDegree, a Class D Violent Felony
  • Four counts of Strangulation, a Class E Violent Felony
  • Three counts of Reckless Endangering 1stDegree, a Class E Violent Felony
  • Two counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child, a Class G Felony
  • Two counts of Conspiracy 2nd Degree, a Class G Felony
  • One count of False Statement to Police, a Class G Felony

Charles Vinson:

  • Three counts of Child Abuse 1st Degree, a Class B Violent Felony
  • Two counts of Kidnapping 1st Degree, a Class B Violent Felony
  • One count of Assault 2nd Degree, a Class D Violent Felony
  • Two counts of Act of Intimidation, a Class D Felony
  • Two counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child, a Class G Felony
  • Two counts of Conspiracy 2nd Degree, a Class G Felony
  • One count of Child Abuse 3rd Degree, a Class A Misdemeanor

One of the children was 10 years old during the abuse; the other was abused from age 11 to age 13. Both defendants will be sentenced by a Superior Court judge in January. Mary Vinson faces a minimum sentence of 30 years, up to 444 years in prison. Charles Vinson faces a minimum sentence of 10 years, up to 158 years in prison. Their sentences were secured by Deputy Attorneys General Erik Towne, Kristin Dewalt, and Kathleen Dickerson, with the support of DOJ Social Worker Rebecca Scott; Legal Assistant Nicole Rollins; Administrative Assistant Alexandra Spedden; and DOJ Investigators Pete Fraley and Brian Daly. The investigation into the Vinsons’ crimes was led by Delaware State Police Troop 3 Detective Jennifer Lloyd, with assistance from Troop 3 Major Crimes Unit and the High Tech Crimes Unit.

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Prosecutors Secure Convictions Against Serial Child Abusers

Department of Justice | Department of Justice Press Releases | News | Date Posted: Wednesday, October 18, 2023


Navy blue background featuring the Delaware state seal in the center

The Delaware Department of Justice has secured multiple felony convictions against a Kent County couple charged with the serial abuse and torture of their children, Attorney General Kathy Jennings announced Wednesday.

“These are the cases that keep us up at night,” said Attorney General Jennings. “The pain that these children endured — and that it was inflicted by people who should have been their protectors — is unthinkable. Thanks to the efforts of our prosecutors and of our partners in law enforcement, these abusers will be in prison for years to come. Their victims are safe now — but I also know that they have a long road of healing ahead of them. They are in all of our hearts today.”

Over a period of 20 months, Mary Vinson, 46, and Charles Vinson, 37, are alleged to have abused their children, including making them stand for long periods of time; withholding food; force feeding them; and violently and repetitively physically assaulting the victims. Both children, who have since been transferred into the custody of the Division of Family services, were hospitalized several times due to the severity of the abuse, which was caught on video by cameras the parents placed in the children’s room.

On September 26, the Vinsons pleaded guilty to the following crimes:

Mary Vinson:

  • Six counts of Child Abuse 1st Degree, a Class B Violent Felony
  • Seven counts of Attempted Child Abuse 1stDegree, a Class B Violent Felony
  • Two counts of Kidnapping 1st Degree, a Class B Violent Felony
  • Three counts of Attempted Assault 2ndDegree, a Class D Violent Felony
  • Four counts of Strangulation, a Class E Violent Felony
  • Three counts of Reckless Endangering 1stDegree, a Class E Violent Felony
  • Two counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child, a Class G Felony
  • Two counts of Conspiracy 2nd Degree, a Class G Felony
  • One count of False Statement to Police, a Class G Felony

Charles Vinson:

  • Three counts of Child Abuse 1st Degree, a Class B Violent Felony
  • Two counts of Kidnapping 1st Degree, a Class B Violent Felony
  • One count of Assault 2nd Degree, a Class D Violent Felony
  • Two counts of Act of Intimidation, a Class D Felony
  • Two counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child, a Class G Felony
  • Two counts of Conspiracy 2nd Degree, a Class G Felony
  • One count of Child Abuse 3rd Degree, a Class A Misdemeanor

One of the children was 10 years old during the abuse; the other was abused from age 11 to age 13. Both defendants will be sentenced by a Superior Court judge in January. Mary Vinson faces a minimum sentence of 30 years, up to 444 years in prison. Charles Vinson faces a minimum sentence of 10 years, up to 158 years in prison. Their sentences were secured by Deputy Attorneys General Erik Towne, Kristin Dewalt, and Kathleen Dickerson, with the support of DOJ Social Worker Rebecca Scott; Legal Assistant Nicole Rollins; Administrative Assistant Alexandra Spedden; and DOJ Investigators Pete Fraley and Brian Daly. The investigation into the Vinsons’ crimes was led by Delaware State Police Troop 3 Detective Jennifer Lloyd, with assistance from Troop 3 Major Crimes Unit and the High Tech Crimes Unit.

image_printPrint


Graphic that represents delaware news on a mobile phone

Keep up to date by receiving a daily digest email, around noon, of current news release posts from state agencies on news.delaware.gov.

Here you can subscribe to future news updates.