A Lake County judge on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, handed a Chicago man a 16-year split sentence after he admitted pouring boiling water and household bleach on a Gary woman in July 2023. The attack left the victim with serious burns, kept her in the hospital for weeks and, according to court filings and testimony at the plea and sentencing hearings, has taken a heavy physical and emotional toll on the woman and her family.
Ja’sun Robertson, 28, pleaded guilty in March to aggravated battery and three counts of neglect of a dependent under a plea agreement. According to the Chicago Tribune, the deal called for a 16-year term split into 14 years in prison and two years of probation. Robertson told the court he plans to appeal that sentence.
Gary police said they were called around 6:15 a.m. on July 13, 2023, to the 4400 block of W. 21st Avenue, where prosecutors said Robertson poured scalding liquid and cleaning chemicals on Mariah Bolden, who had three small children in the home. Bolden spent about two and a half weeks in the hospital and later told the court she continues to deal with pain and scarring. During the plea hearing, Robertson admitted he had broken Bolden’s phone, a tablet and a Ring doorbell.
At sentencing, the judge said he weighed Bolden’s victim-impact testimony and the severity of her injuries before imposing the agreed term. The Chicago Tribune reported that prosecutors argued the plea spared Bolden the trauma of a trial and limited Robertson’s exposure to consecutive penalties that could have added up to a much longer time behind bars. Defense attorneys pushed for leniency, but the court stuck with the full split sentence, citing public-safety concerns raised by the case.
What the charges carry in Indiana
Under Indiana law, aggravated battery is a Level 3 felony and neglect of a dependent is generally a Level 6 felony. Level 3 felonies come with a fixed prison range of three to 16 years, while Level 6 felonies carry a range of six months to two and a half years under state sentencing rules. The statutory details are laid out in the Indiana Code on aggravated battery and in sentencing sections IC 35-50-2-5 and IC 35-50-2-7, which spell out the ranges and advisory terms for each level.
With Robertson’s intent to appeal noted on the record, the sentence remains in effect while any appellate filings move forward. Prosecutors and advocates at the hearing said the outcome reflects how seriously the system views the use of corrosive substances in domestic disputes, particularly when young children are nearby. The case has become one more example of how courts in the region are handling violent domestic assaults that involve chemical burns and put dependents at risk.
