WOONSOCKET, R.I. (WPRI) — The Rhode Island Parole Board unanimously denied the release of a woman convicted in the death of a Woonsocket toddler two decades ago. Katharine Bunnell, 41, is serving a life sentence for the 2004 beating death of her 3-year-old nephew Thomas "T.J." Wright. Bunnell was convicted by a jury back in 2008 of second-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. Prosecutors said Bunnell and her live-in boyfriend, Gilbert Delestre, became enraged with Wright after returning home to find out he had spilled his milk and yogurt in the living room. Thomas "T.J." Wright Bunnell berated and brutally beat the toddler, according to prosecutors, throwing him down a flight of stairs, repeatedly slamming his head on the floor and pouring milk over his head. Delestre, 42, was also convicted of second-degree murder in a separate trial and sentenced to life in prison. Wright and his two siblings had been living with Bunnell, their maternal aunt, and Delestre in foster care after their mother was imprisoned for marijuana possession. The Alliance for Safe Communities urged the parole board to keep Bunnell behind bars prior to Wednesday's hearing, describing Wright's death as "the most savage brutal beating imaginable." "T.J. cried throughout his abuse and the duration and time of his murder must have felt like an eternity to the toddler," Alliance for Safe Communities Executive Director Carolyn Medeiros wrote in a letter to the parole board. "Life sentences are not readily given but reserved for the most heinous crimes with the deadliest consequences. T.J.'s murder meets the requirements for a life sentence." Bunnell will be eligible for parole again in November 2026. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily Roundup SIGN UP NOW