Collins sentenced to 40 years in Middleton death
Courier Staff report | Posted: Tuesday, February 10, 2015 12:46 pm
GALVESTON – A jury has sentenced Don Collin to 40 years in prison after finding him guilty Monday of burning eight-year-old Robert Middleton in 1998 which led to the boy’s death 12 years later, according to HCN news partner KTRK Channel 13.
Collins is convicted of dousing Middleton with gasoline and setting him on fire on the boy’s eighth birthday. Middleton survived for another 12 years before he died of skin cancer said to be caused by treatments for his burns. Middleton suffered burns over 99 percent of is body.
Prosecutors allege Collins raped Middleton two weeks before the assault, which they say was carried out to keep Middleton quiet. Collins, now 29, was 13 years old at the time.
