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A Port Arthur man was sentenced on Thursday to 60 years in prison in connection with two counts of injury to a child in which a 4-year-old boy with Down Syndrome died from malnutrition.

A jury in Judge Raquel West’s 252nd District Court sentenced Jaylin Lewis, 26, to 60 years on each of the two charges. West ruled the term to be served concurrently, or at the same time.

Lewis will be eligible to receive credit for time in custody and has the right to appeal the cases, West said.

Lewis and girlfriend Kirsten Louis, 24, shared a residence in the 300 block of Richmond Avenue where, on May 31, 2022, Louis called 911 for a possible cardiac arrest of her 4-year-old brother, King Dewey.

Dewey, who had Down Syndrome, was described as emaciated and weighed 19 pounds at his death.

Also in their care was Dewey’s two siblings ages 6 and 7 at the time.

The child’s mother, Tina Louis, reportedly had not seen Dewey since December 2021 and was living in Houston. She had dropped the children off with her daughter “for the weekend” but never returned.

On Tuesday Kirsten Louis pleaded guilty to two, first-degree felony counts of injury to a child. She was sentenced to 30 years on each charge to run concurrently and waived the right to an appeal.

Dewey had a history of seizures but neither of his caregivers sought medical attention nor did they seek medical attention because the child was not eating and was losing weight.

When first responders arrived they tried to perform CPR on the child but was unable to do so because there were early signs of rigor setting in to Dewey’s body.

During the trial Port Arthur Police Officer Vao Tran testified to seeing the child on his back and his ribcage was very visible. Three other children were in the home that was dirty and hungry.

Tran noted the condition of the home — an inflatable mattress with barely any padding for the children to sleep on. There was also a door with a red padlock on it that was pried open by police. Inside were toys, a makeshift bed on the ground, and a soiled sheet that smelled of urine.

Further testimony showed Dewey had been kept in the closet.

Louis testified against her boyfriend during which text messages between the two were released as evidence. Dewey’s seizures, his bottle, his behavior and the closet were discussed.

Lewis, who also took the stand, said he was not around half the time when Louis fed the children so he was unaware of Dewey’s lack of eating.

He said Louis told him the children were her responsibility, not his and it was his fear of having child protective services involved and possibly losing partial custody of his own child that kept him from calling 911 and getting medical help for Dewey.

He also testified he never realized Dewey was on the verge of dying in those days leading up to the death.

Forensic pathologist Dr. Baiyang Xu said the child’s stomach was empty and dry at the time of autopsy, which was performed by another pathologist. The child’s extremities were atrophied and there were maggots on his genitalia.

An external examination showed Dewey was very thin and his skin stuck to his bones.

The child’s cause of death was severe malnutrition and bronchial pneumonia. Malnutrition leaves the body unable to fight infection, which is tied to pneumonia, he said.