GRAND HAVEN, Mich. (AP) – A man accused of beating his mother with a frying pan and dumping her body in a western Michigan river has been sentenced to at least 20 years in prison.
The body of 72-year-old Sharon Roersma was discovered last year by fishermen in the Grand River in Ottawa County.
Michael Roersma didn’t speak in court Monday, but a sister, Cindy Senna, called him “pure evil.”
The 51-year-old pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. In October, he told the judge that his mother fell and broke her neck after he repeatedly hit her in the head with a pan.
Roersma’s release from prison will be determined by the parole board after he serves at least 20 years. He’s an ex-convict.
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