Alabama woman gets life sentence for helping to kill husband's previous wife and family
A jury convicted Rhonda Carlson, 48, of various counts of capital murder
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
An Alabama judge sentenced a woman to life in prison after she aided her husband in killing his estranged pregnant wife and three members of her family, including two children, in 2015.
A jury convicted Rhonda Carlson, 48, of various counts of capital murder, including three counts of capital murder of a person under the age of 14, according to Madison County jail records.
Carlson avoided the death penalty by testifying against her husband, Christopher Henderson – who married Carlson without divorcing his previous wife – and admitting to helping him carry out the brutal attack, though she denied killing anyone.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
ALABAMA MAN SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR KILLING WIFE AND FAMILY
"She certainly acknowledges and accepts responsibility for her portion and the crime, which is why we’ve agreed to a plea," Carlson's attorney, Erin Atkins, told WHNT-TV. "She acknowledges that she was involved, she acknowledges that she had a part to play and that she can be held legally responsible for the deaths based on Alabama law."
A judge sentenced Henderson to death on Oct. 14 after a jury convicted him in July of the shooting and stabbing deaths of his estranged wife, Kristin Smallwood; her unborn daughter; her 8-year-old son, Clayton Chambers; her 1-year-old nephew, Eli Sokolowski; and her mother, Carol Jean Smallwood.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Authorities found the four bodies inside a burned house in August 2015, less than a week after Kristin Smallwood filed for a restraining order against Henderson.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.