Evil stepmum 'tortured' girl, 6, to death in horror campaign of abuse over bedwetting

Arianna Rose Battelle, was found dead at her home when she was aged just six-years-old - her stepmother Jessica Bundren was sentenced to life in prison for her murder and her father is also behind bars

An evil stepmother tortured a six-year-old girl to death in a horror campaign of abuse as sickening punishment for wetting the bed.

Jessica Bundren callously claimed that her stepdaughter tragically died after falling down the stairs at their home when police discovered the lifeless body of Arianna Rose Battelle covered with a sheet on the floor. She was declared dead at the scene. Bundren, aged 40, insisted that the child had fallen earlier and she had put her to bed. She called for help when she found the child wasn't breathing.

However, the police noticed multiple visible injuries on the little girl, including bruises and belt marks. In a chilling confession detailed in an affidavit, Bundren admitted to hitting Arianna six times as punishment for wetting the bed.

The authorities found a belt in the house that matched the imprints on Arianna's body, revealing the horrifying truth that Bundren wasn't acting alone. Her father, Justin Hopper, 33, confessed to also using a belt to discipline Arianna and her twin sister.

The parents allegedly resorted to paddles and severe punishments for minor offences, such as taking too long to eat lunch, officials reported. At first, Hopper denied knowing about the abuse inflicted by their stepmother, but damning evidence emerged on his mobile device.

"He knew about the marks and abuse because he was updated, almost daily, with photos of the girls," the police stated in the affidavit over the October 2020 horror discovery, as reported by the Mirror US.

During Bundren's trial, a medical expert gave a harrowing testimony, stating: "Arianna was beaten to death. She was tortured," and added, "Her death was slow and painful."

Hopper was convicted by a Brazos County jury in June 2024 of intentionally causing serious bodily injury to a child and received the maximum sentence of life in prison with the possibility of parole. Bundren was also found guilty in November 2023 and received a life sentence.

The victim's aunt, Courtney Onstott, expressed relief to Bryan, Texas CBS affiliate KBTX, stating: "I'm relieved. She got exactly what she deserves. She took away my niece's life, and she deserves to spend the rest of her life having no life, so I do feel like justice was served today, and I'm very grateful for that,".

Onstott added, "We were hoping for life, and that's exactly what she got, and I'm glad. Now [Arianna's surviving twin] doesn't have to wake up every day and worry about whether her monster's going to be walking around free or not."