Maria Wells, mother of suicide victim Syber Wells, cries in District Court during Wednesday’s sentencing hearing for her estranged husband, Geoffrey Wells. Photos by Clint Karlsen. Geoffrey Wells sits in District Court at his sentencing Wednesday on a charge stemming from the suicide of his son, Syber. Geoffrey Wells was charged with child abuse-neglect after authorities said he failed to lock up a shotgun later used by his 12-year-old son to kill himself.

A father whose 12-year-old son killed himself with a shotgun was sentenced to probation Wednesday after he tearfully apologized for leaving the firearm unsecured in his home.

"My oldest son was a damned smart kid," Geoffrey Wells said of Syber Wells. "He was exceptional in every way. Not in a million years would I ever expect him to do this the way he did."

Wells, who pleaded guilty to a gross misdemeanor charge of child endangerment earlier this year, was then given a suspended sentence of up to one year in the Clark County Detention Center by Chief District Judge Kathy Hardcastle.

The judge also placed him on three years of probation in a sentence that corresponded with the terms of a plea agreement previously negotiated by prosecutors.

Syber Wells' mother, Maria, was disappointed with the sentence, saying her estranged husband should have gone to jail for his failure to lock up the gun.

"Probation?" Maria Wells said. "That's nothing."

Syber Wells fatally shot himself in August with a 12-gauge shotgun at his father's home on West Basic Road in Henderson. When police inspected the home, they found nine unsecured firearms.

Geoffrey Wells originally was charged with child abuse-neglect, but the plea agreement to the lesser charge was finalized in November.

Authorities said the boy's death unfolded during a contentious divorce proceeding between Geoffrey and Maria Wells in Family Court.

Maria Wells criticized Family Court Judge Cheryl Moss after the suicide, saying the judge failed to heed her warnings that Syber and his two younger siblings were in danger while in Geoffrey Wells' custody. Maria Wells said she had videotaped multiple unsecured weapons in her family's home before she left Geoffrey Wells, but she said the judge never bothered to watch the tape.

Moss disputed those allegations in November, saying she had repeatedly ordered Geoffrey Wells to lock up the guns, but the order was ignored.

"I made a point to ask if the guns were secured," Moss said.

Moss said Geoffrey Wells and his attorney, Gerard Bongiovanni, both told her the guns were, in fact, secured.

"You (Bongiovanni) stated the guns are locked up," Moss said. "The dad stated the guns are locked up. I was going on the father's (representations)."

Moss said a hearing master in Family Court had also ordered Geoffrey Wells to lock up the guns, but that order was ignored, too.

In court Wednesday, Bongiovanni said the children were trained all their lives in the safe use of firearms. He said Geoffrey Wells is also a military veteran, having served in the Persian Gulf War and in Somalia, and that if Geoffrey Wells knew his son was contemplating suicide, he would have done everything possible to prevent it.

"He's a good man," Bongiovanni said. "He's a good son to his parents. He's a good citizen with no prior record. But most of all, he's been a good father to his children."

Bongiovanni later said in a courthouse hallway that Geoffrey Wells has unfairly taken the full blame for his son's suicide.

"Everyone is looking at what happened," Bongiovanni said. "No one looks at what actually caused this -- the divorce."

Moss issued an order in November granting Maria Wells temporary sole legal custody of the couple's two surviving children, ages 10 and 8. Bongiovanni said Geoffrey Wells wants to one day reunite with his children.

Maria Wells believes prosecutors should have sought prison time, given Geoffrey Wells' unwillingness to follow orders to secure the guns.

"I lost a son. My children lost a brother," Maria Wells said. "What about us? We followed the rules."

Maria Wells said her surviving children, ages 8 and 10, found their brother's body after the suicide, and that the children were traumatized by what they saw.

"My 10-year-old asked me if the doctor sewed his head back on," Maria Wells said. "Can you imagine what my children are dreaming about?"

District Attorney David Roger has said, though, that the plea agreement was actually tougher than other cases involving tragedies stemming from adults' failure to lock up firearms.