A giant American flag hangs from the West tower of the George Washington Bridge
A giant American flag hangs from the West tower of the George Washington Bridge in between New York and New Jersey ahead of the U.S.-Germany 2014 World Cup Group G soccer match June 26, 2014. REUTERS

A woman and her boyfriend in Pennsylvania went out shopping for a car and pizza, and engaged in sexual activity while the woman's 3-year-old son was dying from weeks of escalating abuse and torture. According to authorities in an ABC report, Jillian Tait's son was unresponsive and eventually died after he was tortured systematically for three days.

The 31-year-old Tait and her 23-year-old boyfriend, Gary Lee Fellenbaum, were charged for the murder of Scott McMillan. The couple was charged with aggravated assault in the beating of the boy's older brother. Tait and Fellenbaum had reportedly laughed while they hung the 3-year-old boy by his feet and began to whip and hit him repeatedly with a frying pan.

ABC reports that Chester County District Attorney Thomas Hogan described the case as "an American horror story." He slammed the couple for their "unspeakable act of depravity." Reports said the couple had met while working at Wal-Mart. In October, the two moved in together in a mobile home park outside of Coatesville where Fellenbaum's estranged wife and 11-month-old daughter also lived. Tait brought her two sons, ages 3 and 6, along with her.

The prosecutor handling the case said the spankings had transformed into "repeated, escalating abuse." In a police affidavit released on Nov. 6, authorities were told that the boy had been punched and beaten with sharp and blunt objects. The couple had bound the boy to a chair with electric tape and hung him upside down before they started beating him.

In one incident, Fellenbaum hung both of Tait's sons by their feet and beat them. Tait said in her sworn affidavit that she and her boyfriend had laughed the whole time. The prosecutor said the older brother did not struggle because he thinks the beatings will only get worse. The 3-year-old boy had squirmed while he was hanging upside down. The couple thought it was "funny."

Police charged Amber Fellenbaum, the 21-year-old estranged wife, with child endangerment for reportedly failing to help the abused children. Authorities said she finally called 911 on Nov. 5 but by then the younger boy had not moved for hours. Investigators revealed that his mother and her boyfriend had put him in a shower for more than 30 minutes. When the boy did not respond, the couple put him on an uninflated air mattress and went shopping. They returned with pizza and had sex after a nap. Tait yelled for someone to call 911 because her son was no longer breathing.

Police investigators had not found any evidence of the couple under the influence of drugs. Reports said Tait's 6-year-old son is now under the care of relatives. Tait and her boyfriend are in police custody without bail. A preliminary hearing will be held on Nov. 14.