A Georgia father whose 10-year-old daughter died in a fire set by her brother while trying to escape years of abuse was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

William Linn McCue, 51, was found guilty of intentional homicide, two counts of rape, three counts of aggravated child sexual abuse and two counts of incest in connection with the death of his daughter, who died from smoke inhalation, the Gwinnett County Prosecutor's Office announced in a news release.

“The treatment these children received was horrible,” said prosecutor Patsy Austin-Gatson. “This girl's death was unconscionable and avoidable, and she and her siblings deserved better than what they received from their parents.”

The case came to light on April 17, 2022, when emergency services responded to a fire at the McCue home in Loganville.

According to prosecutors, McCue's 42-year-old wife, Carina, rescued their 12- and 8-year-old children from the house, but was unable to reach their 10-year-old daughter.

“[The girl] was sleeping in a locked bathroom, with a piece of plywood on top of the bathtub as a bed, when the fire started,” prosecutors stated.

It was later learned that the couple's son, 15 years old at the time, “set the fire to escape the abuse to which he and his brothers were being subjected,” according to the press release.

According to prosecutors, who cited testimony and evidence presented at McCue's trial, the children allegedly suffered severe beatings and were forced to wear shock collars and lie naked on cinder blocks for hours, or even days.

They were also not allowed to use the toilets and instead had to use buckets that were only emptied once a week.

Children were also not allowed to attend school. “The evidence showed that the children thrived once they were separated from their parents, although their development and educational level were far below their age,” prosecutors stated.

According to prosecutors, McCue's wife, Carina, testified during the trial that her husband had confessed to raping their oldest daughter, who was 17 at the time. The teenager also testified to the jury that her father had sexually abused her and her younger sister for years.

Carina had previously pleaded guilty to three counts of first-degree cruelty to children, aggravated assault and false imprisonment. She was sentenced to 90 years in prison.

Prosecutors argued that although McCue was not home when the fire occurred, he was still responsible for his youngest daughter's death.

According to prosecutors, the jury deliberated for nearly four hours before finding him guilty on all charges.

A judge ordered McCue to serve three consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole, followed by a fourth life sentence and then 120 consecutive years in prison.