Ashford Archer, previously convicted on child abuse charges resulting in death has received a 24-year prison sentence for his part in the deaths of Makayla Roberts and her sister Hannah Marshall.

The girls were a part of a religious group that had been staying at the farm and were being punished for being "unclean and impeding the group's spiritual journey" and were placed in a car that was on the property without food or water. They had been ordered there by Madani Ceus, the "spiritual leader" of the group who is also awaiting court proceedings.

Archer, along with others in the group knew there was no food or water for the girls but did nothing to help.

Archer, who is expected to appeal the sentence said in his defense he could not "fathom doing such a thing".

Prosecutors had been pushing for a harsher sentence but received a similar sentence to another from the group, Frank Blair, who helped Archer hide the car the girls were in.

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