Mugshots Charlene Childers and Timothy Dean.
Charlene Childers is the mother and former animal control officer accused of masterminding a plot that ended up in the homicides of her ex-boyfriend and his girlfriend in western New York.
Her life now is a far cry from what it once was. Today, she is serving a 28-year state prison sentence for the Sodus, New York double homicide. She admitted planning it in exchange for a plea deal. The case is featured in an October 11, 2019 episode of NBC’s Dateline. Childers’ prison sentence was meted out in 2019, so she has a long time left to serve.
Childers testified that she conspired with her husband, former Texas Police Chief Timothy Dean, in the murder of her ex-boyfriend, Joshua Niles. The motive: Custody of the two children she shared with the ex; she had lost them when Dean was accused of child abuse. Amber Washburn was also shot and killed in the same attack. The victims were shot outside their Sodus home. Childers was a mother of three who worked as an animal control officer for the Dumas Police Department. Dean, the triggerman, was sentenced to life without parole.
Here’s what you need to know:
Childers’ Earliest Release Date is 2042
Charlene Childers prison records.
According to New York State prison records, Charlene Childers’ earliest release date from prison will be in 2042. She was born in November 1992.
Today, she is being held at Bedford Hills, a correctional facility in New York. Bedford Hills is a maximum security prison for women in New York State.
New York prison records.
Bedford Hills is located in Westchester County, New York. Timothy Dean is serving his life term in Clinton Correctional Facility, which is a maximum security state prison for men located in the Village of Dannemora, New York.
The Sentencing Judge Felt That Childers Was Manipulative & Unemotional
Charlene Childers arrives for her sentencing on manslaughter charges in connection with death of her ex-boyfriend in Sodus @SPECNewsROC
The judge sentenced Childers in May 2019 and indicated she was cavalier and not emotional during her testimony, according to The Democrat and Chronicle.
Wayne County Judge Daniel Barrett said of Dean: “He was your puppet and you manipulated him, and he would have done whatever you said.” He sentenced the 26-year-old Childers to 28 years in state prison. “What I did was wrong and I regret it every single day,” Childers said, according to the newspaper. “I would like to apologize for my wrongs. I realize that saying sorry doesn’t bring them back. … Because of my selfishness, I ruined my children’s lives.”
Timothy Dean was also charged in connection with the deaths; Childers was hit with a conspiracy charge because she was physically in Texas when the slayings occurred. Bron Bohlar, a police officer from Texas, was accused of conspiring with the couple.
Childers accepted a plea deal. According to Spectrum News, Niles’ sister addressed the court during sentencing.
“It was your fault you lost your kids. You said you did this to get them back and that you loved them, but no mother that loves their kids has their father killed,” said Niles’ sister, Nicole Gunkel, in court, according to Spectrum News.
“She is concerned for one person and one person alone and that’s herself,” said prosecutor Christine Callanan at the sentencing, according to the television station. “I think those were true and honest moments when she got upset, but again, it was for her and not necessarily for the family.”