Woman Gets Life Sentence for Helping Husband Plan Killings

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This photograph provided by the Madison County, Ala., Sheriff's Department shows Rhonda Jean Carlson, who received a beingness condemnation connected Oct. 27, 2021, (Madison County Sheriff's Department/AL.com., via AP)

HUNTSVILLE, Ala.—An Alabama pistillate received a beingness condemnation Wednesday for helping her hubby program the 2015 killings of his estranged large wife, her unborn child, and 3 others.

Rhonda Carlson, 48, avoided the decease punishment successful a woody with prosecutors successful speech for testifying against her husband, Christopher Henderson, anterior to his trial. She admitted to helping program the onslaught and was sentenced to beingness successful situation without the anticipation of parole.

A assemblage successful July convicted Henderson successful the shooting and stabbing deaths of Kristin Smallwood; her unborn daughter; her 8-year-old lad Clayton Chambers; her 1-year-old nephew Eli Sokolowski; and her mother, Carol Jean Smallwood. He was sentenced to decease earlier this month.

The 5 bodies were recovered successful a location that had been burned successful August 2015, little than a week aft Kristin Smallwood filed for a tribunal bid to support Henderson distant from the residence. Henderson had joined Carlson without divorcing Smallwood.

Carlson admitted to helping program the killings but denied participating successful the slayings. She testified that Henderson had already attacked the 5 victims earlier she arrived astatine the New Market location wherever the murders took place.

Erin Atkins, Carlson’s attorney, discussed her client’s condemnation with WHNT-TV Monday.

“She surely acknowledges and accepts work for her information and the crime, which is wherefore we’ve agreed to a plea. She acknowledges that she was involved, she acknowledges that she had a portion to play, and that she tin beryllium held legally liable for the deaths based connected Alabama law,” Atkins said.

As portion of the plea deal, Carlson waived her close to a assemblage proceedings and abstracted sentencing hearing.