By Monique Roth
L’Observateur

EDGARD — Judge Mary Becnel sentenced Errol Victor Sr. Monday to life without parole, while his wife, Tonya Victor, was sentenced to 21 years in prison.

Tonya Victor will be eligible for parole in seven to 11 years.

The verdicts came down Monday morning in an Edgard courtroom in the same courthouse the couple was found guilty in seven weeks ago.

A drama spanning over six years concluded Aug. 1 when a jury handed down guilty verdicts to Errol and Tonya, both charged in the 2008 death of 8-year-old M.L. Lloyd III, Tonya’s son and Errol’s stepson.

Errol was convicted of second-degree murder, while his wife Tonya was convicted of manslaughter in the brutal homicide.

M.L. was pronounced dead at River Parishes Hospital on April 1, 2008, after authorities said he was severely whipped and beaten for taking ice cream without permission.

The Victors, who were arrested shortly after M.L. was brought to the hospital, vehemently denied abuse and homicide accusations for years, maintaining their innocence and saying the child died as a result of a severe asthma attack.

In mid-august the couple mounted several, unsuccessful post-trial motions, including a motion for a new trial and a motion to delay sentencing.