A couple who murdered their baby boy in a cruel and violent way have been sentenced to life in prison. Shannon Marsden and Stephen Boden will spend at least 27 and 29 years behind bars, respectively, for killing 10-month-old Finley Boden on Christmas Day 2020. They were convicted at Derby Crown Court, where the judge revealed the shocking extent of Finley’s suffering.

The judge, Mrs. Justice Amanda Tipples, said the couple were “skilled and convincing liars” who concealed their son’s injuries from the authorities, resulting in his death, The Independent reported.

The couple showed no remorse as they were sentenced. They lied to social workers, saying he had COVID to stop them from seeing him, before ending his life on Christmas Day 2020. This was the final act of what prosecutors called a ‘cruel and violent’ campaign of abuse,” the outlet said.

The court heard that Finley was removed from the couple at birth because they were addicted to drugs, but they deceived the authorities by claiming they had quit drugs to get their son back in November of that year.