FILE - This file photo provided by the Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office in Wichita, Kan., shows Stephen Bodine, of Wichita, who was convicted Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2018, of first-degree murder in the May 2017 killing of a 3-year-old Evan Brewer whose body was found encased in concrete in the laundry room of his home four months after his death. (Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office via AP, File)
WICHITA, Kan. – The Latest on a man convicted of first-degree murder in the killing of a 3-year-old Wichita boy (all times local):
12:35 p.m.
The daughter of a man convicted of abusing and killing a 3-year-old Kansas boy says she felt compelled to testify about the abuse she also suffered.
Samantha Johnson is the daughter of Stephen Bodine, who was found guilty Wednesday of first-degree murder in the May 2017 death of Evan Brewer.
Evan's body was found encased in concrete at his Wichita home in September last year.
Johnson says she endured abuse similar to that inflicted on Evan. She says testifying about it was difficult, but that she did it to honor Evan because he didn't get a chance to tell his story.
Johnson says she can now move on.
Bodine will be sentenced Dec. 17.
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11:15 a.m.
The father of a 3-year-old Kansas boy who died after enduring months of abuse says a guilty verdict against the man who killed his son is a weight off his shoulders.
A Sedgwick County jury on Wednesday found Stephen Bodine of Wichita guilty of first-degree murder and other charges in the May 19, 2017, death of Evan Brewer.
Evan's father, Carlo Brewer, says he feels a lot of sadness over what his son endured at the hand of Bodine, who was the live-in boyfriend of Evan's mother.
Brewer says other children imagine monsters under their beds or in their closets, but that Evan "had real monsters."
Brewer says he hopes Evan's death encourages other parents to reconsider how they discipline their children because child abuse "has to stop."
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10:40 a.m.
A Kansas prosecutor is praising the jurors who sat through days of grisly testimony and evidence before finding a man guilty of abuse and first-degree murder in the death of a 3-year-old boy whose body was found encased in concrete.
The jury found 41-year-old Stephen Bodine of Wichita guilty on Wednesday in the May 19, 2017, killing of Evan Brewer. Bodine will be sentenced Dec. 17.
The weeklong trial included video and photos showing Evan being abused, including being chained naked in a basement, berated and forced to stand in a corner for hours.
Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett says the jury performed an extraordinary service to the community while having to absorb more than 500 pieces of sometimes "wretched" evidence.
Bennett says the overwhelming evidence contributed to the jury reaching a quick verdict.
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9:40 a.m.
A Kansas man has been convicted of first-degree murder in the death of a 3-year-old boy whose body was found encased in concrete.
The jury found 41-year-old Stephen Bodine of Wichita guilty on Wednesday in the May 19, 2017, killing of Evan Brewer. His body was found in September 2017.
Prosecutors presented hundreds of pieces of evidence, including parts of Evan's concrete tomb found in the rental home where he lived with his mother, Miranda Miller, and Bodine.
Miller is also charged with murder.
Evan was the subject of a monthslong custody battle and at least six reports were made alleging he was being abused. Jurors saw photo and video evidence of that abuse, including images of him chained naked in a basement.
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