'Pure evil': Quick verdict for Kimberly Maurer in tortured death of Max Schollenberger

Matthew Toth, Lebanon Daily News
·4 min read
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It took a jury less than one hour Tuesday to find Kimberly Maurer guilty of homicide for the role she played in the death of 12-year-old Max Schollenberger.

Maurer was found guilty on multiple counts of criminal homicide, endangering the welfare of children, involuntary manslaughter and criminal conspiracy to endanger the welfare of children.

In September 2020 police filed charges against Maurer and Max's father, Scott Schollenberger Jr. The couple, engaged at the time, lived with Max and his siblings in the first block of South White Oak Street in Annville Township.

Maxwell Schollenberger was about 4 years old in this photograph. In 2020, at age 12, he died in his bedroom, locked from the outside, windows covered and given little food. His father and father's fiancee have been charged in his death.
Maxwell Schollenberger was about 4 years old in this photograph. In 2020, at age 12, he died in his bedroom, locked from the outside, windows covered and given little food. His father and father's fiancee have been charged in his death.

Lebanon County District Attorney Pier Hess Graf said she was proud of this verdict, saying that this trial showed the juror's "what pure evil personified looks like."

"It shows how a child could be tortured, starved and punished in every way for existing," she said. "And those twelve people stood up, looked (Maurer) in the face today and did right by that child."

On May 26, 2020, Annville Township Police and members of the Lebanon County Detective Bureau found Max's 12-year-old body in his second-floor room.

The cause of death was prolonged starvation, malnutrition and blunt force trauma, according to officials. Max was found with a broken eye socket, and multiple signs of blunt force trauma.

The room was caked with feces and urine, according to witnesses. There was a plate of french fries and chicken tenders, along with a cup containing a little water. The boy was naked on the bed, in a room with no toys or furniture.

"Both the bed and the victim's body were wholly covered in fecal matter," court documents state. "The door and its frame contained three metal hooks ... to lock the child in his bedroom."

Max weighed 47.5 pounds and measured 50 inches tall at the time of death, significantly under what a child that age should be, according to officials.

Graf's co-council, Montgomery County Assistant District Attorney Edward McCann, called this the worst child abuse case he's been involved with in his 32 years as a prosecutor.

"Her kid was essentially tortured, jailed (and) basically his existence was erased while he was still alive," he said. "I've never seen any crime scene that looked like this crime scene."

Witnesses over three days testified that Maurer failed to enroll the 12-year-old in school for years, give him proper medical care, or give him proper treatment for possible physical and psychological problems he might have developed over the years.

"(Maurer) is one of the most manipulative defendants I've ever seen, in that every person she interacts with has to serve a purpose or that person has to get attacked," Graf said.

The father, Scott Schollenberger, pleaded guilty in February to charges that included criminal homicide, endangering the welfare of children, and criminal conspiracy to endanger the welfare of children

He was sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole.

Father testifies: 'I was gonna to join him': Scott Schollenberger testifies on the death of his son, Max

Maurer's attorneys argued that Scott Schollenberger was the orchestrator of his 12-year-old son Max's abuse and death. Maurer's attorney, Andrew Race, said she should be convicted guilty of endangering the welfare of a child, but not more serious charges because Scott Schollenberger wouldn't allow anyone else to make decisions for his son to get him the help he needed.

"The only thing Kim is guilty of is letting Scott control her, not doing more and not calling the police," he said in his closing arguments.

Most of the prosecution's case Thursday focused on Maurer's Facebook posts, along with text messages and video recovered from her cell phone. Selected portions of these messages by Graf's team showed Maurer describing an inability to control Max's behavior, along with instances of Max urinating and defecating in the family's home.

Max Schollenberger Trial: Defense rests in case of tortured death of 12-year-old Annville boy, Max Schollenberger

Officials wanted to ensure Maurer would be convicted of homicide, Graf said, but did not want to exploit Max in his most vulnerable moments.

"He had a face, he had a name (and) he had an existence that this defendant took away," Graf said.

Maurer's sentencing hearing is scheduled for June 1.

The Department of Human Services operates a 24/7 hotline to report suspected child abuse or concerns about the welfare of a child. ChildLine can be reached at 800-932-0313.

Matthew Toth is a reporter for the Lebanon Daily News. Reach him at mtoth@ldnews.com or on Twitter at @DAMattToth

This article originally appeared on Lebanon Daily News: Quick verdict for Kimberly Maurer in death of Max Schollenberger