By Abigail O'Leary News Reporter
04:05, 17 Nov 2023 UPDATED04:19, 17 NOV 2023
Tim Ferriter's disturbing actions confined his adopted son to an 8x8 box in the family garage at their home in West Palm Beach, Florida, subjecting the young boy to unimaginable conditions
Ferriter sat emotionless in the courtroom throughout trial proceedings (Image: Court TV)
A cruel father who locked up his adopted son in a tiny box room without air conditioning and only a bucket for a toilet has been sentenced to five years in prison.
Tim Ferriter, 48, has been convicted on charges of aggravated child abuse, false imprisonment, and child neglect. The court heard how Ferriter's disturbing actions of confining his adopted son to an 8x8 box in the family garage at their home in West Palm Beach, Florida, subjecting the young boy to unimaginable conditions.
As the verdict was delivered, Ferriter, 48, remained stoic despite being found guilty on all charges, including the harrowing details of locking his son in a windowless room for extended periods. The young victim, identified only as "RF" for privacy reasons testified during the trial, describing the confinement as "dehumanizing" and likening it to "genocide."
As the verdict was delivered, Ferriter, 48, remained stoic despite being found guilty on all charges, including the harrowing details of locking his son in a windowless room for extended periods. The young victim, identified only as "RF" for privacy reasons testified during the trial, describing the confinement as "dehumanizing" and likening it to "genocide."
Tracy Ferriter called police to the house when the boy went missing, before officers found the box in the garage ( Image:PALM BEACH COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE)
Timothy Ferriter was found guilty of child abuse ( Image:PALM BEACH COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE)
The adopted son, confined to an 8-foot by 8-foot windowless room in their Jupiter home, endured appalling conditions. Locked in the tiny space for up to 18 hours a day, the boy had no control over lighting or air conditioning. His living conditions were dehumanizing, with a bed consisting of just a mattress on the floor, devoid of a frame or box spring.
The abuse extended to the point where the son had to use a bucket as a toilet within the cramped room. Ferriter, documented the mistreatment using a Ring camera set up inside the room. The footage revealed shouting matches in which Ferriter berated his son for various actions. He warned the boy about rats in his room if he failed to eat his food.
The room had no bed frame, only a mattress on the floor, according to the testimony (
Image:Court TV)
The abuse also involved neglect, as the son was given only leftovers to eat in isolation after the rest of the family had meals. The defense argued that Ferriter's actions were driven by the son's severe behavioral issues, but the son's testimony and recordings suggested a pattern of mistreatment, including physical abuse such as slamming him into a wall by his neck and hitting him in the face.
Even as Ferriter chose not to testify in his own defense, claiming he never meant to harm RF and was only making misguided attempts to manage the child's severe behavioral issues, the jury found him culpable. The defense argued that Ferriter's actions were a result of poor parenting choices rather than intentional harm.
Tim Ferriter, 48, pictured with his family ( Image:Facebook)
The now 16-year-old boy, who remained anonymous throughout the trial shockingly asked the court to forgive his father. "My father was a good person who just made a really serious mistake," he said during the sentencing. I still love you and I will always love you until the end of my days."
The child asked Judge Howard Coates to sentence his father to six months of jail followed by five years of probation, but his request fell on deaf ears. Judge Howard Coates had difficulty finding proof that Ferriter felt remorse for his actions, despite Ferriter's defense attorney asserting he had apologized to the entire family.
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