Nearly three years after the tragic death of a 7-year-old boy, the man convicted of his murder has been sentenced to 50 years in prison.
Jemaine Thomas, 45, was charged with capital murder after the boy was found dead inside a washing machine in July 2022. He pleaded guilty to the murder charge and accepted the 50-year prison term.
Troy’s foster mother, Tiffany Thomas, 38, pled guilty in February to a lesser charge of injury to a child and is awaiting her sentencing, scheduled for September 10.
The incident occurred on July 28, 2022, when deputies responded to reports of a missing child in the 4400 block of Rosegate Drive. When they arrived, the parents reported that Troy had been missing since 4 a.m. During a residence search, authorities discovered him inside a washing machine in the garage.
According to reports, Troy suffered from asphyxiation, blunt-force trauma, and possible drowning. He had multiple bruises, facial injuries, and blood was found on the washing machine and various parts of the home.
Prosecutors revealed that Troy had eaten some of Tiffany Thomas’s oatmeal cream pies and was threatened with being placed in an oven until he confessed. Text messages also revealed Jemaine Thomas’s anger upon discovering the boy had eaten his doughnut sticks, stating, “I need to get the [locks]. I’m going to end up kill[ing] him.”
Investigators noted that Troy was adopted by the Thomases in 2019, who served as his foster parents.
