Troy Koehler, 7, was found dead inside a washing machine at his family home three years ago, and now his adoptive father has been sentenced for his murder.
According to a press release from the Harris County District Attorney’s Office and court records reviewed by PEOPLE on Wednesday, July 30, Jemaine Thomas, 45, was sentenced to 50 years in prison for Troy’s murder after pleading guilty.
Sheryl Reed, Troy’s former first-grade teacher, delivered a victim impact statement in court.
“Today a reader; tomorrow a leader. That was always Troy. He enjoyed reading. If he finished early, he’d go directly to our classroom library. Then he’d return to share those stories with his classmates, always lifting others up with the joy he carried,” she explained.
According to court records reviewed by PEOPLE, Troy’s adoptive mother, Tiffany Thomas, 38, has been charged with bodily injury to a child under the age of 15. Her bond is set at $300,000. She pleaded guilty, and her sentencing is scheduled for September 10.
Tiffany had previously faced a charge of child injury by omission, but it was dismissed, according to court records.
As previously reported by PEOPLE, Jemaine and Tiffany are thought to have adopted Troy in 2019.
Troy was found dead on July 28, 2022, after his parents filed a missing person report.
In a previous press conference, Lt. Robert Minchew of the Harris County Sheriff’s Office Homicide Unit stated that when officers arrived at Troy’s home, they “did a brief interview for the missing person report” with his parents.
“Their observations prompted them to conduct a thorough search of the house. He said they discovered a dead 7-year-old child in the garage’s washing machine. Troy was discovered clothed in the top-loading washing machine at 7:20 a.m.
According to court documents reviewed by KPRC 2 Houston, Troy was threatened with being thrown into an oven after allegedly eating some of Tiffany’s oatmeal cream pies. Prosecutors said text messages showed Jemaine was upset after discovering Troy had eaten his doughnut sticks.
“I need to get the locks. “I’m going to end up killing him,” he allegedly wrote in the text message, according to KPRC 2 Houston.
In November 2022, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez announced on X that forensic scientists performed an autopsy on Troy and discovered that he “suffered new and previous injuries” as a result of the incident. His death was ruled homicide.
According to KPRC 2 Houston, the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services later confirmed that Child Protective Services had previous contact with the family.
