Police: 3-year-old hung up by feet, beaten, killed in Pennsylvania

WEST CALN TOWNSHIP, Pa. (KABC) -- Police say a man and his girlfriend are charged with murdering the girlfriend's 3-year-old son.

Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan announced the arrests of Gary Fellenbaum and Jillian Tait Thursday morning. He says Fellenbaum, his wife and girlfriend, Tait, all lived in a trailer park on Hope Lane in West Caln Township.

On Tuesday, authorities were called to their residence for a report of an unresponsive child. Responding EMTs found 3-year-old Scott McMillan suffering from bruises, lacerations and puncture wounds all over his body.

Police say Fellenbaum, Tait and another witness confessed that the little boy had been beaten with blunt and sharp objects, whipped, taped to a chair with electrical tape and beaten, hung up by his feet and beaten, leading to his death.

Authorities say they beat Scott to death using homemade weapons, like a whip, a curtain rod and an aluminum strip.

Tait said the fatal beating began when the boy wouldn't eat his breakfast, according to police.

"Little Scotty McMillan is dead. Over a three day period ... he was systematically tortured and beaten to death. He was punched in the face and in the stomach. He was scourged with a homemade whip. He was lashed with a metal rod. He was tied to a chair and beaten. He was tied upside down by his feet and beaten. His head was smashed through a wall," Hogan said.

Tait allegedly told police that Fellenbaum beat her 6- and 3-year-old boys on a number of occasions. He would allegedly hit them with a closed fist in the head, face, chest and buttocks, and on one occasion, she says he strung the boys up by their feet and beat them while she and Fellenbaum laughed.

The 6-year-old boy is now in the care of relatives.

Fellenbaum and Tait are charged with murder. Hogan said he would be seeking the death penalty. Fellenbaum's wife is charged with child endangerment.