Mom Exposed Her Son to 'Horrifying' Abuse. She Stopped for Cigarettes on Way to Hospital

Samantha McCormack and her ex-boyfriend Robert Keith Elmore Jr. have been convicted of killing 18-month-old Enzo McCormack

An Alabama woman has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for her role in the murder of her 18-month-old son, who died as a result of her then-boyfriend's abuse.

Samantha McCormack, 29, has pleaded guilty to felony murder during the course of child abuse in the 2019 killing of her son Enzo McCormack, according to court documents cited by AL.com, WVTM 13 and WBRC.

Her plea, entered on Monday, July 8, comes less than a year after her ex-boyfriend Robert Keith Elmore Jr., 32, was convicted of capital murder for killing Enzo, per AL.com and WBRC.

Elmore was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole following his conviction, per the outlets.

On Sep. 6, 2019, Blount County Sheriff’s personnel responded to a hardware store in Locust Fork, Ala., regarding an unresponsive child, AL.com, WVTM 13 and WBRC reported, citing authorities.

When police arrived at the scene, the child was in respiratory distress and his body was cold, District Attorney Pamela Casey said, per WBRC.

Samantha told police that she had found her son choking on cereal earlier in the day and was on her way to take him to the hospital when she stopped to buy cigarettes and gasoline, AL.com and WBRC reported, citing court testimony and authorities.

She met Elmore’s sister inside the store. The sister found the child unresponsive and helped Samantha call 911, according to the sister's testimony during Elmore's trial, AL.com reported.

When police spoke with Elmore during the investigation, he said he dropped Enzo after the child pulled his chest hair, per investigators, WVTM 13 and AL.com reported.

Enzo died as a result of Elmore's abuse, including the blunt force trauma and shaking, WBRC reported, citing court testimony.

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

Casey claimed that Samantha left her child with Elmore despite knowing he abused the boy, according to WBRC.

A doctor who had examined Enzo told the court in 2023 that the child had been subject to severe trauma and had been violently shaken, per AL.com, WVTM 13 and WBRC.

“This story is horrifying," Casey said in a statement, according to AL.com, WVTM 13 and WBRC. "I cannot imagine the pain and suffering this child endured before succumbing to his injuries. I cannot understand someone doing what Elmore did. But, as a mother, I cannot understand how a mother could leave their child in the care of someone the mother knows to have been abusive to the child."

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.