Woman Sentenced to Life for Killing, Freezing 2 Daughters

A Maryland woman has been sentenced to life without parole for killing two adopted special-needs children and storing their bodies in a freezer so she could collect more than $150,000 in subsidies for their care. Montgomery County Circuit Court Judge Michael J. Algeo called Renee Bowman's crimes "horrific, reprehensible and despicable" and said they were the worst he had seen during his 25 years as an attorney and a judge. Bowman, who did not testify at her trial, addressed the courtroom today to apologize. "I am very sorry for the abuse of the girls," Bowman said. "It haunts me. It haunts me every day."

Ann Heisenfelt, AP

Renee Bowman, here on Jan. 8, abused her three adopted daughters and killed two of them. The third escaped, which led to the discovery of the bodies of the other two.

Bowman, 44, was arrestedin September 2008 after a third adopted child, a 7-year-old girl, escaped her Lusby, Md., home by jumping out of a second-story bedroom window. Half-nude and covered in blood and feces, the girl told a neighbor, "My mother beats me; she just beats me to death." The neighbor called 911 and reported the abuse. When authorities conducted a search of Bowman's home, they were shocked to discover the bodies of two young children inside a large freezer. SOURCE: AOL