This 4-year old boy was murdered. And the prosecutors say it was because he was gay.

WARNING: This post deals with detailed accounts of child abuse and may be distressing for some readers.

Four-year-old Zachary Dutro-Boggess was a typical pre-school aged boy.

He lived with his mum, her boyfriend, his older sister and two younger brothers.

He played dress-ups and watched TV.

What wasn’t normal about Zachary’s life was that his mother and her partner allegedly subjected him and his siblings to regular beatings.

The violence inflicted was worse on Zachary though. And the reason was because his mother thought he was gay.

Yes, Zachary was four years old.

His mother and her partner allegedly kicked him and beat him regularly.

Prosecutors say he was killed by those entrusted with his care, his upbringing and his wellbeing — all because they thought he was gay.

His mother, Jessica Dutro, is currently on trial in the United States for murder, murder by abuse and second-degree assault.

Prosecutors say Zachary was beaten so badly he received tears in his bowel.

He died from two holes in his intestines caused by blunt-force trauma. Urine and faeces seeped from the holes and harmed his vital organs. He died in hospital on August 16, 2012.

His stepfather pleaded guilty earlier this month to first-degree manslaughter for his abuse of the child.

He admitted that he had kicked the then three-year-old in the stomach because he wanted to take off his shoes before he watched TV.

He turned four the day before he died.

Prosecutors told the Washington County Circuit Court that Jessica Dutro ran her family like an army and that she had a history of violence and abuse. When the investigation began, Zachary’s seven-year-old sister and three-year-old brother also showed signs of abuse.

The three-year-old boy had multiple fractured ribs. Only Dutro and her boyfriend Brian Canady’s shared biological child – a baby – was reportedly uninjured.

What is particularly chilling is Dutro’s alleged motive.

According to Facebook messages, Jessica Dutro wrote to her 25-year-old boyfriend, Brian Canady, that she thought her four-year-old son Zachary was gay.

In the message, she claims that her son “walks and talks like a gay person”, and mentions that Brian will have to “work on” her son to get him to stop acting gay.

The Oregonian reports that on August 16, 2012, the day Zachary’s life support was terminated, his mother searched terms such as anger management and parenting classes. She also searched listings for free stuff and sex with strangers.

Last week, Zachary’s eight-year-old sister testified against her mother. According to The Oregonian, their mother put her and her pre-school brothers in ‘timeout’ for long stretches.

They were forced to “face the wall” with their hands in the air. If their arms dropped, she said, Dutro or Canady would hit them.

On audio and video recordings, the girl was talkative in one-on-one interviews.

In a courtroom, before a jury, judge, her mother, lawyers and spectators, the girl often gave soft, one-word answers to questions.

She said both Dutro and Canady gave her and her brother “lickins”. The punishments hurt and left marks, she said.

This eight-year-old girl and her two surviving brothers are living with their mother’s relatives.

The court heard that the girl said life was now “fun”.

The case continues.