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They buried their 18 month old child in a pigtail bucket in their back yard in 2004 and after pleading guilty to that on Wednesday, 32 year old Michael Tesecum, and 41 year old Teresa Watlow – an ex common law couple– appeared at the Supreme Court today to hear what penalty they would receive.

But instead of being sent to jail they were each fined two thousand five hundred dollars. Justice Michelle arena stipulated that they are to pay the fine within a year, and if they don’t, they will serve a six month prison sentence. Before deciding on the sentence, Justice Arana heard mitigation please from character witnesses for both accused. Justice Arana also told the court that she took into consideration the fact that they pleaded guilty and saved the court’s time. Justice Arana told them that she will not send them to jail because they are the parents of five children.

The infant’s skeletal remains were discovered in 2008 after Watlow’s sister in law showed police where it was buried. Michael Tesecum gave police a caution statement at the time saying that he hit the child against a wall and the child stopped moving. Because the discovery was made so long after no cause of dearth could be established, so the couple was only charged with concealment of death.