Michigan Man Receives Sentencing of Up to Eight Years for Freezing Wife’s Body

A Michigan man was sentenced to two to eight years in prison for preserving his deceased wife’s body in a freezer for months, a punishment that exceeded advisory guidelines. Isabella County Circuit Judge Mark Duthie described the facts of the case as “horrible” and emphasized the need to treat a person’s body after death with dignity and respect. Prosecutors claimed that the man hid his wife’s body in order to continue collecting her Social Security payments, and the cause of her death could not be determined. The investigation was prompted by the man’s daughter, who expressed concern after not hearing from her mother in two years. Police ultimately found the body in a chest freezer at the couple’s home, leading to the man’s confession that his wife had died in September 2022 and he had placed her body in the freezer instead of informing the family. The man’s lawyer highlighted the couple’s medical struggles and emphasized his continued grief over the situation. Terrell York did not speak as he received his sentence.