DETROIT – A Detroit mother has been sentenced to prison in connection with the 2024 fatal beating of her 8-year-old son in a child abuse case that also led to the conviction of the boy’s stepfather.
Kentoria Moss was sentenced after pleading guilty to second-degree child abuse in the death of her son, Adren Thimes Jr., who was killed at a home in Detroit in November 2024.
She received a sentence of 18 months to 10 years in prison as part of a plea agreement.
Prosecutors said Moss and the boy’s stepfather, Jamarr Hill, were both charged following the child’s death.
Hill previously pleaded guilty to second-degree homicide and was sentenced to 18 to 40 years in prison.
In court, family members delivered emotional statements, including the boy’s grandmother, Adrianna Thimes, who questioned the sentence and the circumstances surrounding the child’s death.
“How can I cope with this little boy, this one, what happened? What did he do?” Adrianna said. “I can never get him back, but 18 months to 10 years is not enough for her. She knew very well.”
Another family member told the court the child needed his mother’s protection on the night he died.
“All Adren needed on the night of his death was his mother,” said an attorney. “He needed his mother to be there for him, and on that night she wasn’t there for him.”
Moss also addressed the court, apologizing for her role in her son’s death and acknowledging she failed to intervene.
“That night haunts me,” said Moss. “Not a day goes by that I don’t wish that I had protected him and just left. I should have spoken up. I should have asked for help.”
The judge said Moss will live with the consequences of her actions long after her prison term.
“We don’t know when you’re getting out,” the judge said. “You have your minimum, but there’s a maximum of 10 years. But long after your release, you will have to live with this and with your conscience.”
The case remains one of several involving child abuse deaths in Detroit that have drawn renewed attention to reporting and intervention failures in domestic violence situations.