A man who brutally murdered his own mum and took selfies with her body has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.
David Sumney, 33, from Pennsylvania, US, documented the killing of Margaret Sumney, 67, with over 275 photos and posed next to her dead body with his hands dripping in blood in August 2019.
The killer has been given a 20-year-sentence after signing a plea which saw Summey get off with a third-degree murder charge - much to the anger of his mum's sisters who argue he should face first-degree murder charges.
Sumney was arrested just days after he killed his mum in Pennsylvania as his mum's debit card, necklace, bracelet, and three cheques were found in his belongings.
He then booked a hotel room in Philadelphia after the killing and gave a hotel manager a set of of pearls belonging to his mum as he remarked "from a special lady to a special lady."
Prosecutors also accused Summey of searching "how long does it take before a body starts to decompose?' and "how long do you wait to dispose of a body?" on the internet in 2020.
Mary Ellen, Margaret's older sister, said her nephew should have been given the death penalty whilst his other aunt, Ann, begged the judge to "not give him a second chance."
Margaret's niece, Margo, described in court on Thursday the scene inside her aunt's home as she noticed a pungent "metallic smell."
She told the judge: "He is the epitome of pure evil. We will never find peace with any of this."
Ellen, Sumney's half-sister, said on Zoom she felt anger and disgust over the sentence as she chose not to attend the court in person as her wishes for a higher sentence were "repeatedly ignored."
She also described the horrific injuries Sumney inflicted on her mother, Ellen revealed: "You broke her back. You paralysed our mother. And then you just beat her and beat her. The blood was splattered along the walls.
"But I think the sickest part is the pictures. The 277 pictures. You only take pictures if you want to go back and see what you did."
Allegheny County Medical Examiner's Office said she suffered broken ribs and a spinal fracture which would have left her parlayed from the waist down after the brutal beating.
There were also cuts and bruises across her body.
Sister Mary-Ellen called her nephew a "monster" and was furious with the sentencing, she said: "David, she gave you everything she had. And when she didn't have anything else to give, you killed her.
"I had no idea you were this kind of monster. And I'm still upset you were not prosecuted to the fullest. This was first-degree murder."
The Allegheny County Office of the District Attorney, however, claimed "justice was served" following the 20-year sentencing.
Sumney's lawyer, Chris Patterini, said he has "expressed remorse" and should only be behind bars for seven years, to which Ellen shouted: "That's ridiculous."
The judge held a 15-minute plea meeting in September with members of the Sumney family where each of them expressed their anger over the plea deal.
Even though the plea was rejected by the family it still went ahead as the judge said: "Cases are resolved on a regular basis against the wishes of family members… and sometimes even victims."
Sumney had previously attacked his parents before in July 2015 after assaulting his dad.
He was also later charged with assaulting his mum in August 2014 and November 2016.
However, his charges were later downgraded to misdemeanour assault and harassment - despite his mum claiming "he tried to kill me," "punched my face and body, choked me, pulled my hand across my body,' and told her 'I'll get you next time."
However, he avoided jail after his mum tried to get his son a lesser prison sentence.
