A 33-year-old mother of six from Michigan will serve several decades in prison for torturing and killing her blind 3-year-old son before stuffing his body into a basement freezer. On Monday, Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Tracy E. Green sentenced Azuradee France to 35 to 60 years in state prison for the 2022 murder of little Chayse Allen.
France pleaded guilty earlier this month to one count of second-degree murder in connection with her son’s horrible death. Greene also credited her with 767 days previously served.
According to Detroit Fox station WJBK, France did not speak at Monday’s hearing. She reportedly sat calmly in court and held her hands over her face while Green read her sentence.
France was first arrested in June 2022 and charged with several charges, including felony murder, child abuse, torture, and hiding the death of another. Prosecutors dropped the remaining counts in exchange for her guilty plea to the murder of her son.
As previously reported, at about 12:45 p.m. on June 24, 2022, officers from the Detroit Police Department responded to a request for a welfare check on a young child at a home in the 12760 block of Monte Vista.
When police arrived at the scene, they discovered the “remains of a deceased child” — later identified as Chayse — in a freezer in the basement of the residence. France was taken to jail and sent to the Wayne County Jail.
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Detroit Police Chief James E. White stated that what officers saw inside France’s home was “something no one should have to see.”
“The other kids, just imagine what they must have gone through and endured being inside of that home,” the police chief stated at the time. “And yes, a child was decomposing, and yes, the child was found in the freezer.”
White stated that the officers could tell something was “not right” with France’s communication style and how she continuously tried to send away police and Child Protective Services “as if nothing was going on.” However, he stated that the cops “knew something was wrong,” which prompted the search of the house and the discovery of Chayse’s body.
Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy was equally astounded by the horrific nature of the crime.
“The alleged facts in this case have astounded even the seriously jaded,” Worthy said in a statement released after France’s arrest. “Our children continue to be at risk — not just from gun violence but also from the alleged murderer that lives in the house with them.”
In an interview with police, France stated that one night in late March 2022, she became more upset with Chayse’s refusal to eat, so she lashed the youngster with a belt and kicked him in the chest. When she went to check on him the next morning, the youngster had died.
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According to the Detroit News, France expressed frustration to a homicide detective about the blind child’s specific needs and the lack of assistance. She also claimed Chayse was meant to be staying with her father, who had previously taken in her children.
“He was so different,” France said to police, referring to Chayse. “My dad wasn’t supposed to bring him back to me.”
Furthermore, France reportedly stated that she did not call 911 for fear of authorities taking her other children away. Instead, she allegedly told the two children who discovered Chayse’s body that she’d “take care of it,” then placed him in a bag that she hauled down and stuffed into the basement freezer.