Boy, Doctor Take Stand In Darrick Mittelstadt Trial In Cheyenne

Warning: This article includes graphic and disturbing information

The adopted son of Darrick and Angela Mittelstadt took the witness stand in Darrick Mittelstadt's aggravated child abuse and conspiracy trial on Tuesday afternoon in Laramie County District Court.

Darrick Mittelstadt is facing charges of aggravated child abuse and conspiracy for the starvation and abuse of the boy, identified in court proceedings only as E.M.

Angela Mittelstadt has entered a plea of guilty to aggravated child abuse as part of an agreement with prosecutors. In return, prosecutors are asking for a 15- to 17-year prison sentence and dropping the conspiracy charge.

But Judge Peter Froehlicher is not bound by that agreement. He has set a December 14 sentencing date for Angela Mittlestadt. In the meantime, Darrick Mittelstadt is standing trial.

E.M., who was 13 when Angela Mittlestadt dropped him off at the Youth Development Center in Douglas. From there, he was transferred to Children's Hospital in Aurora.

Boy Says He Lived In Darkness At Night, Rarely Left Room

E.M. told the court that he was kept in a bedroom 24-7, rarely leaving the room and never going to school or to see a doctor. He said the only light in the room was natural sunlight. While there was a light fixture on the ceiling, "I didn't think I was supposed to turn it on." So at night, he lived in total darkness.

He did say that for a while he would go to his grandparents' house on Thursdays "because Angela said she didn't want to deal with me." But after a while, those visits ended.

He also testified that he often tore his hair out, especially at night.

E.M. told the court he was fed "one to three times a day. Sometimes peanut butter sandwiches or PB&J (peanut butter and jelly) sandwiches."  Other times he had ham sandwiches or ''what they ate."

But he told the court that when he turned 13, Angela told him he would only be getting two meals a day. In reality, it was often only one meal a day.

On cross-examination by Darrick Mittlestadt's attorney, E.M. told the court that he only rarely saw Darrick Mittlestadt and that it was Angela who decided when or if he ate and, if so, what. He said when he was disciplined--which he called "consequences" --it was almost always Angela who punished him, although Darrick may have done so on a few occasions.

When asked, "Angela wasn't very nice to you, was she?'' He responded ''No she wasn't."

The boy also said that his bones are still too fragile to play on a trampoline or lift weights.

E.M. said Angela Mittlestadt simply dropped him off at the Youth Development Center and then drove away, leaving him to tell the people at the center why he was there.

Dr. Compares Boy's Condition To Concentration Camp Inmate

Also testifying was Dr. Andy Sirotnak of Children's Hospital in Aurora, Colorado. Sirotnak told the court that E.M. was "severely malnourished," with no muscle mass and bones that protruded from his skin. He said the boy's condition was comparable to that of a concentration camp inmate or a prisoner of war.

Doctors had to be careful in adding electrolytes to his system, because too many at once could cause heart issues, according to Dr. Sirotnak.

Sirotnak noted they couldn't find medical records for E.M. from 2018 to 2025, indicating he had never seen a doctor in that time.

The Middlestadts adopted him in Colorado in 2019.

He said the boy could only have gotten so severely malnourished over a period of months, adding that a condition that severe doesn't happen in a short period of time. He had no vitamin D and virtually no calcium in his system, resulting in severely weakened bones.

Dr. Sirotnak said E.M. weighed 54 pounds at age 13. He said a boy that age would typically weigh 80-100 pounds.