SEATTLE, May 11 (UPI) -- A Seattle-area man was convicted Tuesday of second-degree manslaughter for allowing his mother to die from gaping bedsores as she lay covered in feces.
Christopher Wise, 42, of Black Diamond was acquitted of second-degree murder and first-degree manslaughter, the Seattle Times reported. He faces up to 10 years in prison.
During the three-week trial, sheriff's deputies testified about the conditions they found when Wise finally called in emergency workers the day of his mother's death. Ruby Wise, 88, was dressed only in a hospital robe and adult diaper, covered in feces and urine and weighed only 70 pounds.
Deputies said they were able to see a shoulder blade through one gaping bedsore.
Prosecutors argued Wise had a financial motive for keeping his mother at home -- the $2,000 a month she received in Social Security and disability could not have been used to pay the rent if she was in a nursing home.
But Wise said his mother had said she preferred to remain at home. He said they had discussed the financial situation and decided it made sense for him to remain there and care for her instead of working.
"I offered everything and she made her choices," Wise said. "I knew what to do and that was to follow my mom's instructions."
