Father of starved child gets 45 years

CHICAGO, Nov. 20 (UPI) -- A Streamwood, Ill., man who confessed to starving his 18-month-old son to death, has been sentenced to 45 years in prison.

Kristian Fredrickson's son James weighed less than 11 pounds when he died in December 2001, only one pound more than he weighed at birth, the Chicago Tribune reported Saturday.

Fredrickson faced 20 to 100 years in prison for first-degree murder after prosecutors agreed not to seek a death sentence in return for his guilty plea.

He will have to serve the entire 45 year sentence. He will be nearly 70 years old before he's eligible for release.

Fredrickson's wife, Amanda, still faces first-degree murder charges that could result in a death sentence.

The couple also has an 8-year-old daughter.