Iowa woman found guilty of torturing stepson

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) - A western Iowa woman has been found guilty of torturing her mentally disabled stepson.

The Council Bluffs Daily Nonpareil reports (https://bit.ly/1rQefCE ) that a judge found 46-year-old Rebecca Beyer guilty Friday of first-degree kidnapping and willful injury. She faces up to life in prison when she’s sentenced

Authorities say Beyer routinely abused the victim, now a 21-year-old man, severely burning him with heated eating utensils and a clothes iron and keeping him tethered to a wall in the garage with a dog leash.

Beyer’s attorney denied that his client abused her stepson, saying his injuries were caused by poor hygiene.

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Information from: The Daily Nonpareil, https://www.nonpareilonline.com