LONGVIEW, WA (KPTV) -
The Longview couple convicted of criminally mistreating their adopted children have been sentenced to prison.
There were gasps from the audience in the courtroom when Rebecca Trebilcock received her sentence of 8 1/2 years behind bars.
Her husband, Jeffrey Trebilcock, was sentenced to 5 1/2 years in prison.
The judge gave her the harsher sentence because she was home during more of the time the mistreatment occurred.
Investigators said all the Trebilcocks' adopted children were malnourished and neglected.
Investigators also said the couple installed an alarm in the kitchen to keep the children from getting into the food themselves. When Rebecca Trebilcock took the stand, however, she said the intent of the alarm was to protect the children.
The children testified during the trial they were slapped with a board as punishment and ate dog and goat food because they were so hungry.
State investigators, dieticians and doctors also testified on behalf of the prosecution.
The defense argued food was always plentiful and that at least one of the children ate dog food by choice.
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