A teenage boy has lost his life after being tortured and abused by his grandparents and his uncle who lived with him following his dad’s death, prosecutors argued.
On Feb. 3, James Alex Hurley, 12, was found lifeless in the suspects’ West Yellowstone home. Police arrested his grandparents, James Sasser Jr., 47, and Patricia Batts, 48, who are facing deliberate homicide charges. The boy’s 14-year-old uncle was also involved in his murder.
The three lived at the same home with Hurly’s aunt, 18, and another uncle, 6.
According to relevant evidence, the suspects beat Hurley several times, forced him to sleep outside and deprived him of food. He died from blunt force trauma to his head after being beaten by his uncle “pretty good” during an incident that was described as a “blood bath.”
