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Robert John Duncan, 44, and Stephanie Angelette Duncan, 43, of Lebanon, were apprehended in Feb. 2021 for “years of abuse in their home” located on the 2700 block of Cedar Run Road, according to District Attorney Pier Hess Graf.
“It was one of the most horrific scenes I’ve been to and knowing that it was suffered by children makes it that much worse,” Graf told PennLive Wednesday.
The abuse only came to an end for their five adoptive children on Jan. 13, when their 11-year-old son was rushed to the Hershey Medical Center, near death, being both unresponsive and hypothermic, according to police at the time.
The same day the Lebanon County Detective Bureau opened an investigation into the couple.
"An examination of (the boy's) body revealed bruises on his neck, shoulders, back, abdomen, hip, and genitals," according to a news release by the bureau. "The medical staff determined the location of the child's bruises were not consistent with accidental injury."
Neighbors had previously reported seeing the couple force the boy to sit outside in the cold, as told to PennLive in Feb.
Stephanie Duncan was the primary abuser, according to authorities.
She pleaded guilty to more than 30 charges against her over video from prison before Judge Bradford H. Charles on Wednesday at 8:30 a.m., according to her updated court docket.
Duncan entered an open plea, meaning there is no plea agreement regarding the duration of her sentence.
She faces a maximum sentence of 288 years in custody and up to $65,000 in fines, per state law.
She is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 22.
Her husband, Robert Duncan also pleaded guilty to over 30 charges and was sentenced to six to 30 years in state prison last week, according to court documents.
The children are being cared for and slowly recovering, according to DA Graf.
The reason for the abuse has also been revealed as a desire for money for their ‘lifestyle’, according to a statement Graf made to PennLive.
The Duncans had received government funding to help support their five adopted children, but instead used the money for themselves for things like gourmet chocolate of the month subscriptions, Graf told Pennlive.
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