‘Pure evil personified’ sentenced to life in prison for death of 12-year-old

Annville, Pennsylvania: 37-year-old Kimberly Maurer was back in court yesterday to learn her sentence after a jury convicted her of 12 counts in less than an hour March 22, 2022.

Maurer and her fiancé, Scott Schollenberger Jr. were both charged after 12-year-old Max Schollenberger's nude, feces covered body was found in his bedroom in May 2020. Prosecutors in the case explained that Max "existed in a state of perpetual suffering" and that this was not a case of negligence. "It was a matter of how many more days. He lay there in that stench and suffering until he died."

"I have always been raised to believe there is no such thing as an unforgivable sin," Judge Bradford Charles told Maurer during the sentencing hearing, "but this is as close as it gets."

During the trail, Maurer had attempted to deflect the blame, claiming that Scott Schollenberger was the responsible party.

"Any attempt to put all blame on one is misguided or misplaced," Charles stated. "You are not a parent, but you are a human being, and no human being should allow this to happen."

Charles sentenced Maurer to life in prison plus 10 to 20 years.

Lebanon County District Attorney Pier Hess Graf also said during the hearing, "Hopefully some point [Maurer] sits in that cell, whether it's 5 years from now or 40 years from now, she may shed finally a single tear of remorse for Maxwell and not herself."

Mauer read a prepared statement before the court saying. "I thought I was doing everything I could to help Max. I wish I could go back in time to bring him back. It still makes me sick to this day. This makes me a coward and a failure. I know I failed and did not do enough."

After sentencing, Graf said, "I think we have as good of an outcome as you can get. It's not justice. There's no justice in this. There's no bringing this child back. There's no undoing what occurred."

According to Graf, Maurer's attorneys plan to appeal.