Missouri Man Sentenced for Killing Son, Burning Body

A 37-year-old central Missouri man who admitted killing his 1-year-old son and burning the body has been sentenced to life in prison.

Matthew Hamm, of Fortuna, was sentenced Thursday for second-degree murder and abandonment of a corpse in the boy’s May 2017 death.

He pleaded guilty in December in a plea deal that reduced the original first-degree murder charge.

The Jefferson City News-Tribune reports authorities found the boy’s skeletal remains inside Hamm’s home and in a burn pit on the property after the child’s mother notified police.

Hamm initially told authorities the boy died after choking. He later admitted hitting the boy after he spilled a bowl of water.

Hamm told authorities he was upset that a family member hadn’t shown up to take care of the baby.