A Florida mother who “brutally” beat her 4-year-old son to death was sentenced to 40 years in prison, according to reports.
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Arayia Hudson, 38, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and aggravated child abuse in August in the death of her son, Joseph. Her sentence was announced on Tuesday, per court records reviewed by Law&Crime.
She also received 15 years of probation and must complete mental health treatment and anger-management courses, the media outlet reported.
The Hillsborough County State Attorney’s Office previously said Tampa police responded to a 911 call in June 2024 and found Hudson trying to revive Joseph. The boy was taken to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
Medical examiners determined that Joseph died of blunt force trauma to the head and torso.
Prosecutors said a homicide detective who testified in connection with the case said Hudson admitted to repeatedly hitting the child and slamming his head into the bathroom wall after he “made a mess” in the bathroom.
One of the boy’s brothers, who was 9 years old at the time, told investigators he witnessed the beating, and the boy was “almost unconscious” after getting kicked and hit by his mother.
Hudson’s two other children also told police their mother often forced them to hold the 4-year-old’s hands back to keep him from defending himself while she beat him, per prosecutors.
At first, Hudson lied about the child’s injuries, said prosecutors. She eventually admitted that she hit him several times and used tinted sunscreen to conceal bruises around his eyes.
“This is a heinous crime,” Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw said in a news release shortly after the boy’s death. “Every child deserves to feel safe in their own home and especially with their own mother.”