EVANSTON, Wyo. (AP) — A Wyoming couple are charged with involuntary manslaughter after authorities say they tried to teach a 16-year-old a lesson by encouraging him to drink and he died of alcohol poisoning.

Joseph M. Richardson and Paulette L. Richardson, from the town of Urie in southwestern Wyoming, are charged in the July 7 death of her son, Kendal Balls.

Court documents say the couple told investigators the teen had been expressing the desire to drink alcohol and they wanted to teach him a lesson by allowing him to drink and get sick.

An autopsy found the boy's blood-alcohol level was 0.587 percent — more than seven times the legal limit for drivers.

The couple face a court hearing Friday. Records don't show they have lawyers yet.