Prosecutors say 13-year-old Christian Choate was kept in a dog cage, starved and beaten over the course of a year before his death. His body was found last week buried in a shallow grave under concrete in a mobile home park in Gary. Authorities believe he died two years ago.
The boy's father, Riley Choate, 39, and stepmother, Kim Kubina, 45, are charged with murder, battery, neglect and criminal confinement. Both pleaded not guilty to the charges.
