Kimberly Maurer gets life in prison for her part in 12-year-old Max Schollenberger's death
Standing before Judge Bradford Charles in Lebanon County court Wednesday, Annville resident Rhonnda Bentz said that on May 26, 2020 she became a victim of Kimberly Maurer.
"Her evil when she walked into my backyard, sat on my porch, and said 'Max (Schollenberger) is dead,'" she said. "From that moment on my life was forever changed."
A neighbor to Maurer and realtor of the South White Oak Street home where the 12-year-old boy's body was found, Bentz said every time she sees the home or goes to bed she's thinking about the torture Max suffered.
"I have to live with this memory for the rest of my life, so I now think it's only fitting that Kimberly Maurer sit in jail for the rest of her life," she said. "She does not deserve to be free. She does not deserve to have the life liberties she denied little Max."
Almost two years after she was charged, Annville resident Kimberly Maurer will spend the rest of her life in prison for her role in the tortured death of 12-year-old Max Schollenberger. Mauer on Wednesday was sentenced to life in prison without parole for first degree murder with an additional 10 to 20 years for child welfare endangerment.
What was done by Maurer and Max's father, Scott Schollenberger, was evil, according to Charles during sentencing. Either parent could have stopped the torture, reported it to the authorities or taken Max to the hospital.
"Mrs. Maurer, you are not a parent, but you are a human being," he said. "And no human being should ever allow this to happen. Period."
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.
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.
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.
Life and death of Max Schollenberger:Criminal negligence of dead 12-year-old boy ignites community outrage
Max Schollenberger homicide trial:'Pure evil': Quick verdict for Kimberly Maurer in tortured death of Max Schollenberger
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.
Maurer was tried in March before Judge Bradford Charles on charges that included criminal homicide, endangering the welfare of children, involuntary manslaughter and criminal conspiracy to endanger the welfare of children. It took a jury less than an hour in to find Maurer guilty.
"I think we have as good of an outcome as you can get," District Attorney Pier Hess Graf said during a Wendesday press conference. "It's not justice. There's not justice in this. There's no bringing this child back. There's no undoing what occurred."
Kimberly Maurer trial:Defense rests in case of tortured death of 12-year-old Annville boy, Max Schollenberger
Reading from a statement during her hearing, Maurer called herself a coward and a failure for not taking care of Max. Maurer's attorneys argued that Scott Schollenberger was the orchestrator of his son's abuse and death.
"I thought I was doing everything I could to help Max," she read from a statement.
From the years the county reviewed messages and social media posts from, Graf said Mauer was not just complicit in Max's suffering. She was in control of finances spent, activities of children, grocery orders and essentially maintained the household while Scott was working 70-80 hours per week before the pandemic.
Referencing a photo Mauer texted to her friends of Halloween 2017, Graf said the other children in the house were dressed up in costumes and posing for the camera. Max was a few feet away, not able to participate and visibly upset. Mauer had laughed in the message about how she could not post it publicly.
"She cursed about (Max), she bragged about abusing him. She bragged about how worthless he was, what a pain he was, what a joy the other children were," she said. "We found over a period of nine years there wasn't a single pleasant comment. Nothing loving, nothing sweet, ever directed by her about Maxwell."
Graf said that even during the trial, viewing photos of Max's body did not elicit any kind of response from Maurer. Maurer never called Lebanon County Children and Youth regarding Max's treatment, and never called 911 after she discovered Max's body in 2020.
"If that doesn't speak volumes about the utter lack of grasp on reality this defendant has, I don't know what else will," Graf said. "We're sitting here over two years after the death of this little boy, the condition of that room, the way he died, the manner in which he died, everything she took from him, and you saw it in there today, there hasn't been a single tear of remorse for Maxwell."
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.
Max's father testifies:'I was gonna to join him': Scott Schollenberger testifies on the death of his son, Max
Looking at the conditions officials found Max's body, caked in feces and urine, Graf said it's obvious what happened to him was not an accident or negligence. Max's death was would come one day under these conditions, the only question was when.
"Hopefully some point (Maurer) sits in that cell, whether it's 5 years from now or 40 years from now, (and) she may shed finally a single tear of remorse for Maxwell and not herself," Graf said at the hearing.
Mauer's attorneys are planning an appeal for her case, according to Graf.
Bentz said she helped Maurer with financial difficulty, including getting Christmas gifts for the children. But she was never asked to help when it came to Max or the conditions that he was facing before his death.
"Why couldn't she ask for help with Max?" Bentz said. "That is the question that will haunt me for the rest of my life."
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: Kimberly Maurer sentenced to life in death of Max Schollenberger
