A Deschutes County judge on Tuesday sentenced a Sunriver-area woman to more than 23 years in prison for abusing her 9-year-old stepson so severely that he became malnourished and had to be hospitalized. In a statement that hung over the courtroom, the boy told the court that "the trauma that this caused me will last for the rest of my life," and the judge barred the defendants from unsupervised contact with children and from contacting the victim.
As reported by The Bulletin, 34-year-old Sarah Session was sentenced on March 31 after being found guilty of nine counts, including assault, criminal mistreatment and coercion. According to the paper, Session's mother, Paula Hardenburg, received more than five years in prison, while her father, Gary Hardenburg, was given three years of supervised probation and 90 days in jail.
Prosecutors Describe Tarp-Covered Room And Haunting Videos
Prosecutors told the court that more than 200 video clips from Session's phone showed the boy confined in a tarp-covered bedroom with only a small mattress and a bowl for vomit, forced to eat his own vomit, beaten with a curtain rod and given life-threatening levels of salt, according to KTVZ. The child was life-flighted to Oregon Health & Science University and spent months in hospitals before he recovered, prosecutors said during testimony.
In court, the boy again addressed the judge, saying, "the trauma that this caused me will last for the rest of my life," a statement reported by The Bulletin. Session, speaking at her sentencing, told the court, "I have made many mistakes, and I should have done things differently," according to the paper.
Convictions, Family Sentences And No-Contact Orders
Session was convicted on nine counts, including multiple counts of assault, criminal mistreatment and coercion, and prosecutors say some of the most disturbing footage was deleted from her phone and later recovered. Her parents were convicted on related charges, including tampering with physical evidence and assault, and the court imposed no-contact restrictions in addition to the sentences, as reported by KTVZ.
The arrests followed nationwide warrants and the family's capture on the Oregon coast in early 2025, with prosecutors and medical records forming the backbone of the case in court. The victim has since been placed with his father out of state and is reported to be doing better in school.
