Andrews sentenced in death of daughter

FARMINGTON - Ryan William Andrews was sentenced in 2nd District Court today to 15 years to life for the abuse death of his 10-year-old daughter Shelby Andrews last August.

The sentence comes after Andrews last month confessed to the slaying and pleaded guilty to first-degree felony murder in connection with Shelby's death.

Authorities say Andrews, 38, and his wife, Angela Ray Andrews shut the child in a linen closet on Aug. 2 in a space so confined it prevented her from breathing. Although she called out that she was struggling, prosecutors say they ignored her cries. When they opened the door some time later, Shelby was dead.

The case against Andrew's wife, Shelby's stepmother, is pending.

In his guilty plea statement, Andrews said he knew that his wife had been abusing Shelby for some time. He claims that earlier in the day, Angela Andrews made the little girl eat her own feces as punishment for having an accident. Two weeks earlier, Andrews said he saw his wife sexually assault the girl with her heel and a can of Lysol.

"This method of abuse and others occurred over the days and weeks immediately preceding Shelby's death and also included Angela repeatedly slamming Shelby's head into the stairs in our house," Andrews said in the hearing last month.