Mother pleads guilty to child cruelty of her 9-year-old son with cerebral palsy

A D.C. mother wiped away tears in court as she admitted to abusing her 9-year-old son who has cerebral palsy.

Betty Threatt told a judge on Monday she was guilty of child cruelty crimes against her son, which include admitting to burning her son with scalding water and locking him in a room for days without feeding him.

When he was finally taken to the hospital by the boy's father, doctors say he had no body fat and was suffering from a condition called refeeding syndrome.

The mother also told the judge she was guilty of taping her son's hands and feet together with duct tape. She then placed tape over his mouth and placed him in a bathtub.

Threatt is expected to serve nine years in jail after accepting a plea deal for pleading guilty to charges of aggravated assault, cruelty to a child while armed and cruelty to a child.

Her boyfriend, Lester Jackson, has also been charged with similar crimes against the boy. A court hearing for him has been scheduled to take place in July.

Threatt had been living in a halfway house, but after she pleaded guilty on Monday, the judge has ordered her jailed until her sentencing date.

We are told the 9-year-old boy is now with his father.