Commerce couple gets life sentence after horrifying death of 2-year-old
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Daniel Allen Ash, 34, and Amber Dawn Murphy, 32, were sentenced Monday for second-degree murder in Indian Country and four counts of child neglect. Both had pleaded guilty earlier this year.
Federal prosecutors said the toddler weighed just 17 pounds when he died in September 2024. Medical professionals described the child as severely malnourished and emaciated and said he was so dehydrated they could not obtain a urine sample.
Prosecutors said Ash knew something was wrong with the toddler but did not immediately seek medical care. At one point, investigators said all four children were left inside an unair-conditioned vehicle for about two hours while Ash was at a friend’s house updating a gaming console.
Authorities said the couple’s oldest child, who was 10 at the time, had become the primary caregiver for the other children, feeding them, changing diapers and watching them.
Investigators described the family’s home as filled with trash, feces and spoiled food, with insect and rodent activity throughout.
The couple’s three surviving children were treated by medical professionals and are now living with other caregivers.
