Baby Wade's killers to be sentenced
A couple convicted for the murder of their two-month-old baby will be sentenced in the High Court in Pretoria on Tuesday.
The State had argued that Marissa Rudman and Nolan Schoeman deserved life imprisonment for killing their son Wade.
He died in April 2009 after suffering extensive brain injuries.
The infant had swelling on the brain which pushed his skull apart. He had lung contusions caused by a hard blow to the body, injuries to both of his feet, bruises on his face and body, two broken forearms and 22 broken ribs. Parts of his brain had died and he was in a coma when he was admitted to the hospital.
A pathologist who testified during the trial said she had never seen a baby with such severe injuries.
The presiding Judge, Cynthia Pretorius, said the baby had "suffered tremendously" especially in the last two weeks of his life.
Both Rudman and Schoeman have denied responsibility for Wade's death and Rudman told the court she was not aware that her former boyfriend was assaulting the child.
"Nobody takes responsibility for that. Up to now no one has told the court what happened," she said.