Father and stepmother plead guilty to beating 8-year-old daughter to death after denying her food and water

A father and stepmother in Minnesota have pleaded guilty to second-degree murder charges around ten months after the death of their eight-year-old daughter.

The victim, named Autumn Hallow, died from asphyxiation (suffocation) last summer. Police were called to her home on August 13, 2020 on a report of an unresponsive child, whom they found face-down in a bathtub with a number of head wounds. They later found that she had been dead for several days prior to the call. Her autopsy revealed puncture wounds on her head as well as abdominal and brain bleeding, while her hips and hands also showed signs of bruising.

Investigators found out that she was physically abused by her father Brett Jason Hallow, 31, and stepmother Sarah Kay Hallow, 29, at their Elk River apartment, where the couple often tied the girl up if they felt she had misbehaved.

The victim was also found to be emaciated, and it was later revealed that Brett and Sarah used to withhold food, water and medicine from her. At the time of her death, she weighed 33 pounds, disturbingly less than the average weight of a girl of her age and height.

Brett and Sarah were initially charged with second-degree murder and first-degree manslaughter, to which they had entered not guilty pleas. They finally acknowledged abusing Autumn and causing her death in a hearing this Monday. Sarah confessed that she and her husband had both assaulted Autumn in the bathroom where she was found after confining her in there for several days leading up to her death. They also admitted to several new charges including the abuse of the victim's brother and another child in the home, reports KSTP.

Both Brett and Sarah are facing possible 40-year-prison terms for the crimes. They will be sentenced in September this year. Autumn's mother, Kelsey Kruse said about the recent developments: "I feel like them taking a plea deal for less time was kind of the coward's way out, but also I liked that they were admitting some guilt and I knew part of what happened at least."

Kruse has filed a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against Sherburne County Child Protection Services and the Elk River Police Department, which alleges both agencies failed to do more to protect Autumn. Kruse shared Autumn's custody with her ex-partner, but had a protective order against Sarah.

She had called the police in June last year complaining that she hadn't seen her daughter since January. Within the last two years, police had responded to the Hallow residence on 30 separate occasions, mostly on calls from anonymous neighbors complaining about loud yelling and screaming coming from inside the apartment.