Woman gets 52 years for murdering boy found stuffed in container at jasper motel room

A Houston woman has pleaded guilty to the murder of a five-year-old boy found in a plastic container wrapped in a tarp and duct tape, hidden in a Jasper motel room. Wednesday, a Harris County judge sentenced Theresa Balboa to 52 years in prison for first degree murder in Samuel Olson's death as part of a plea deal, avoiding the death penalty. Balboa had been dating the child's father. She must serve 26 years before she is eligible for parole. She gets credit for time served since her arrest in 2021. She didn't say anything in court, but Samuel's mother, Sarah Olson, did. "Today, she admitted to what she did for 52 years and the chance of parole in 26. My son didn't even get six years of life, and she still gets a chance at one? This is not justice," Sarah said after the hearing, according to ABC 13 News. Balboa's attorney says she pleaded guilty to the murder to prevent her family from having to deal with a trial. "You took my life. I can never have closure because of the state the body was returned in. I could not hold him one last time," Sarah said during her victim impact statement. “You’re an absolutely disgusting person,” Sarah told KHOU-TV. “I think she should get life. She has the chance of parole in 26 years. There’s still that chance she can get out. She shouldn’t have a chance at all.” Samuel's paternal grandmother referred to Balboa as a monster during her victim impact statement. Samuel's father, Dalton Olson, stepped out before the statements were read. He was angry and sat in court with clenched fists. "A 5-year-old boy who really couldn't defend himself, couldn't run, couldn't scream, couldn't do anything, and to meet this type of horrific, cold-blooded, diabolical fate, it's just unfathomable. She deserves never to breathe free air again," said Andy Kahan, a victim advocate with Houston Crime Stoppers. The child may have died around May 10, 2021, only days before his sixth birthday. On May 27, 2021, Balboa contacted police to report that Samuel was missing. She claimed he was taken by a police officer who came to her door because of a custody dispute. The report launched a large search to find the five-year-old boy. On June 1, Samuel's remains were found in a Jasper motel room. Police found his body in a plastic container wrapped in a tarp and duct tape. The medical examiner ruled that the child died from blunt force trauma to the head.