MI - Shanda Vander Ark, charged with Murder and child abuse of son, 15, Norton Shores, 2023

[cocomod]

I am extremely grateful for jurors! I cannot imagine sitting in a case and hearing horrific details about child abuse and death and being expected to not react. This is one evil woman that deserves to be behind bars for the rest of her life! She also ruined her other son's life in multiple ways including teaching him to have no empathy and teaching him that torture is normal. May she rot!

 

[tlcya]

May G go on to have a stable homelife with loving caregivers. RIP Timothy, I'm so sorry you lived that hell.

 

[BUF]

I hope they serve her piece of white bread smothered in Elijah’s Extreme Regret hot sauce for dinner tonight….I know they won’t, but wish they could.

 

[AmandaSkis]

Where was her current husband during all of this?

 

[twall]

Where was her current husband during all of this?

He had a stroke and couldn't navigate the steps so moved in with his parents nearby. I believe I saw that on CourtTV Closing Arguments because that is the only coverage I have watched besides a bit of the trial.

 

[arielilane]

The coward monster should have been forced to attend verdict reading. moo
https://twitter.com/CourtTV
@CourtTV


#BREAKING: #ShandaVanderArk found GUILTY of starving and torturing her special needs teen son #TimothyFerguson to death. Vander Ark was not in court for the verdict over a "medical issue."

4:27 PM · Dec 15, 2023

 

[B4igo2it]

Timothy's only escape was death. What a shame. When asked if he loved his brother, Paul said, "I suppose I didn't love him enough. That's why I’m trying to bring justice for him."

 

[Gardenista]

Good interview with the prosecutor

 

[JoeFromLB]

There are some people in this world who are just plain evil. It's a mystery and it's diabolical in my opinion. I hope she's separated from society forever. Nothing less will be just.
RIP to this poor young man...

 

[iusedtofloat]

just realized the stepdad died earlier this year. not sure if stroke related or... stress, to put it kindly... from this experience.

https://obits.mlive.com/us/obituaries/grandrapids/name/adam-vander-ark-obituary?id=44541133

 

[mickey2942]

There are some people in this world who are just plain evil. It's a mystery and it's diabolical in my opinion. I hope she's separated from society forever. Nothing less will be just.
RIP to this poor young man...

This reminds of the "mother" of Taylor Rose, starved, abused, neglected her, all while going to her job everyday in the military, pretending to be "normal". Passing a military subsidized daycare on her way to work.

Who can even figure out these people who pretend to be normal? While being monsters to innocent children.

 

[iusedtofloat]

Did she really vomit, or was this an act to try to deflect from her testimony that the prosecutor was getting out of her?

Waiting to hear these jury questions….


ETA: She has some medical distress this morning and will not be in the courtroom, but court will proceed.

As a woman with a nausea disorder to keep it vague, that was a 100% fake, hail Mary, I pray to God they believe that seeing these made me puke, sort of puke. As in she made a wretching noise and spit in the can, and fake cried. She is EVIL. She deserves death.

They better drag her in court for the verdict

It's law in MI, she has to be there, thankfully.

Exactly, and she had a MI court job. Didn’t they do a background check?

As far as her feeling ill today…

Shanda Vander Ark is resting Friday, allegedly telling jail staff that she had feelings of "hurting herself"

Norton Shores mom charged in son's death doesn't show up to court Friday, as jury begins deliberations

Good recap of what happened today in court in this article.

Too bad she didn't hurt herself before torturing her son for over a year in the most brutal ways imaginable.

Imagine the physical pain, the muscles begin to atrophy, the weakness, the fatigue. The crippling loneliness. "Why am I so bad? What did I do wrong? Why does mom hate me? Why won't my brother help me?" In an ice bath starving to death, being teased with the smell of a single Pizza Roll which would be the best meal you've had in months. Death was probably a welcome relief for this kid.

This case will never leave my mind.

Also, I don't care that Paul may be on the spectrum. He willingly participated in abuse, while knowing right from wrong. He had a job and freedom to leave his house. He could've alerted anyone at anytime. He chose not to. He disgusts me.

 

[iusedtofloat]

May G go on to have a stable homelife with loving caregivers. RIP Timothy, I'm so sorry you lived that hell.

One of the articles said that Gabe's statements to police helped them arrest Shanda. Crazy how the 7 year old in the household is the only one who did the right thing.

 

[iusedtofloat]

This reminds of the "mother" of Taylor Rose, starved, abused, neglected her, all while going to her job everyday in the military, pretending to be "normal". Passing a military subsidized daycare on her way to work.

Who can even figure out these people who pretend to be normal? While being monsters to innocent children.

watching court tv today, one of the opinion panelists said something like, "I think people who commit such acts hate themselves somewhere deep down and are too cowardly to hurt themselves so they take it out elsewhere"

 

[iusedtofloat]

I hope they serve her piece of white bread smothered in Elijah’s Extreme Regret hot sauce for dinner tonight….I know they won’t, but wish they could.

one of the women in prison might have in mind to do something similar. or make something a little pointy in their free time. whatever bad things happen to shanda is better than what she deserves.

 

[airportwoman]

just realized the stepdad died earlier this year. not sure if stroke related or... stress, to put it kindly... from this experience.

https://obits.mlive.com/us/obituaries/grandrapids/name/adam-vander-ark-obituary?id=44541133

The obituary said he had leukemia.

 

[B4igo2it]

just realized the stepdad died earlier this year. not sure if stroke related or... stress, to put it kindly... from this experience.

https://obits.mlive.com/us/obituaries/grandrapids/name/adam-vander-ark-obituary?id=44541133

hmmmm.... odd obit IMHO. No mention of Shandra, Paul, or Timothy.

 

[iusedtofloat]

hmmmm.... odd obit IMHO. No mention of Shandra, Paul, or Timothy.

I mean, they didn't have reason to mention them. I'm sure he wanted nothing to do with his wife or Paul once he found out what happened. Gabriel was his son with Shandra, the other 2 were Shandras.

 

[B4igo2it]

I mean, they didn't have reason to mention them. I'm sure he wanted nothing to do with his wife or Paul once he found out what happened. Gabriel was his son with Shandra, the other 2 were Shandras.

I thought Adam and Shandra were still married?

 

[imstilla.grandma]

“He look like that when you put him in the bathtub?” Roberts asked after slapping several pictures of Timothy’s bruised and severely wasted body in front of his mother.

Killer mom vomits on stand after being shown pictures of disabled 15-year-old son she starved to death: video

Shanda Vander Ark was still sick and did not return to the courtroom when the jury returned her guilty verdict of murder and child abuse. She faces life in prison.

nypost.com