Before his death, Christian Choate wrote letters about his abuse and said he wanted to die.
According to new documents released Friday, Choate wrote about having to steal food and use the bathroom where he was confined, according to the Northwest Indiana Times. He said in the letters he just wanted his family to like him.
The 13-year-old's body was uncovered last month by Indiana police behind his deceased grandmother's mobile home in Gary, Ind.
Choate's father, Riley Lowell Choate, 39, and stepmother, Kimberly Leona Kubina, 45, were both charged with murder, battery, neglect of a dependent and criminal confinement for keeping the boy in a dog cage secured with seven locks.
Last month, Choate's sister, Christina, broke her silence about her brother's death and abuse. She called her stepsister, Alyssa Nieto, 18, who notified adults.
Christina Choate said she witnessed her brother being beaten for years after her father got custody of them. She said her father kept him in a locked dog cage at night because he kept trying to escape the abuse.
The night before he died, Christina Choate told Nieto that Choate was too weak to eat, but his father insisted. He tried eating but threw it up, so Riley Choate beat him until the boy went limp.
Choate's father and stepmother pleaded not guilty to murder, and his mother is suing for custody of Christina Choate.
