FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Madani Ceus Sentenced for Role in Norwood Child Deaths
Contact: Susan Lilly, Public Information Officer
970-729-2028 susanl@sanmiguelsheriff.org
June 19, 2020 -- (San Miguel County, CO) – Madani Ceus received two consecutive 32-year sentences for her role in the 2017 Norwood child deaths of today by Judicial District Court Judge Keri Yoder.
Ceus was previously convicted of two counts of class two felony child abuse convictions resulting in death, knowingly and recklessly. Sisters Makayla Roberts, 10, and Hannah Marshall, 8, were found dead inside of a tarped vehicle parked on a farm in Norwood in the summer of 2017.
Sheriff Bill Masters said the citizens of San Miguel County should have good faith in our justice system. “Ms. Ceus had a competent defense team, and we had competent investigators, prosecutors, and ultimately, she met our judge for her sentencing.”
Due to COVID-19, only a few persons were allowed in the courtroom while others associated with or interested in the case, viewed the sentencing online. San Miguel Sergeant Dan Covault, lead investigator in the children’s deaths, was advisory witness to the sentencing. He was in the courtroom as Ms. Ceus made a lengthy closing statement.
“Ms. Ceus said a number of things that basically corroborated our testimony. For example, she said from a young age, she has thought of herself as a creator. She also referred to the two girls as ‘little bitches.’ She stated that the girls were unclean, and she didn’t want them around her children,” Sergeant Covault said.
Following sentencing, Ms. Ceus was transported back to the San Miguel County Jail where she will remain until transfer to Colorado Department of Corrections.
“This cult found their way to our county and committed horrific, abuse to these little girls who died as a result of the inhumanity of Ms. Ceus and her associates,” Sheriff Masters said.
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The San Miguel Sheriff’s Office, located in Telluride, Colorado and established in 1883, serves 7,800 residents and countless visitors across the 1,288 square miles of San Miguel County. Sheriff Bill Masters has been serving as the county’s elected Sheriff since 1980