Female judge breaks down in tears as she sentences dad to life for horrific abuse death of his 12 year-old son

Daily Mail​

07-05-2025

A Utah judge broke down in tears as she sentenced a father to life imprisonment for the horrific abuse death of his 12-year-old son.
Shane Jesse Peterson, 47, was sentenced to up to life behind bars following the death of his son Gavin, who died on July 9, 2024.
Gavin died at a Weber County hospital after what authorities described as 'unimaginable suffering.'
The shocking conditions revealed in court documents showed that Gavin was severely malnourished before his death, fed only 'a piece of bread with mustard' and one-third cup of water daily while being locked in an empty room under constant camera surveillance.
When discovered, the boy's body was 'visibly emaciated' with internal organs that had 'shut down completely,' according to the affidavit.
In court on Wednesday, Judge Camille L. Neider of Utah's Second District Court fought back tears as she delivered the maximum possible sentence.
'I agree that you should be given the maximum sentence,' Judge Neider stated. 'I am going to run it consecutive. I also am going to encourage the board to keep you until you die.'
Judge Neider ordered Peterson to serve five years to life in prison for child abuse homicide, a first-degree felony; three terms of 1 to 15 years for aggravated child abuse, a second-degree felony; and one term of zero to 5 years for endangerment of a child, a third-degree felony.
She said it was the first time in 25 years that she got 'teary' in court.
Neider told Peterson: 'You were Gavin's dad. I don't think you deserve that title anymore, but there's nothing that can be done to change it.'
In court on Wednesday, Judge Camille L. Neider of Utah's Second District Court fought back tears as she delivered the maximum possible sentence
'You certainly were not his father and you certainly were not his protector.'
'I also find it telling that I am more emotional about this than you are - and I think that there is reason for that.'
Peterson had pleaded guilty in March to five felony charges, including child abuse homicide, three counts of aggravated child abuse, and child endangerment.
When Gavin died last summer, three other family members were subsequently arrested for child abuse homicide within days of his death.
Shocking documents later released by the Utah Division of Child and Family Services revealed several years of investigation into the Peterson family.
The documents stated that Gavin had suffered 'severe and chronic physical abuse and severe and chronic physical neglect.'
In April, Gavin's stepmother broke down in tears as she plead guilty to her role in starving her 12-year-old stepson to death.
Nichole Lea Scott, 51, of West Haven, Utah, admitted to a heart-wrenching array of crimes after her actions led to the emaciated death of Gavin.
Scott, along with the boy's father and the boy's oldest brother Tyler Peterson, 22, are accused of starving the child to death and subjecting him to years of abuse, including locking him in a room and providing only scraps of food and water.
'When talking about feeding the child victim, the three suspects talk about only giving the child one-third of a cup of water, only giving him a piece of bread and mustard, or not feeding him food at all,' charging documents obtained by East Idaho News state.
'All of this messaging and evidence revealed a prolonged pattern of abuse over the course of several years.'
While in Ogden's 2nd District Court on Monday, the stepmother was seen weeping and emotional as she tearfully pleaded guilty to murder, three counts of intentional aggravated child abuse, two counts of obstruction of justice, child endangerment and possession of a controlled substance.
Shane and Tyler both pleaded guilty to child abuse homicide and other child abuse charges on March 20.
Part of the guilty pleas for both men involved admitting to the factual basis of the charges.
They both testified that investigator statements were true and that Gavin was subjected to a 'prolonged pattern of abuse over the course of several years.'
Deputies from the Webster County Sheriff's Office were called to his father's home in West Haven on July 9 after reports that the young boy was 'not breathing' and 'experiencing vomiting' for days on end.
Officers and paramedics attempted to resuscitate Gavin who was found on the bathroom floor. He was then taken to the hospital, where he later died, police said.
His father, stepmother and older brother were all arrested in connection to the boy's horrific death, which the court heard was brought on by 'a prolonged pattern of abuse over the course of several years.'
Sickening surveillance footage and text messages between the three revealed Gavin's final days, where he was only fed a piece of bread with mustard, one-third of a cup of water, and was not allowed to use the bathroom, according to the affidavit.
The deputy noted that the bathroom floor was 'wet and the child's skin was cold to the touch,' the affidavit said.
'Nichole and Shane reported that the child had been ill for several days, experiencing vomiting and seizures, but was not taken to a doctor. On the day of the incident, Nichole found the child in his bedroom, covered in vomit, and assisted him into the shower.'
Once Gavin was taken to the hospital, doctors found that his body 'showed malnutrition to the point the child's internal organs had shut down completely'.
'The child's body was visibly emaciated,' according to the affidavit.
Upon further investigation into the child's death, detectives discovered text messages between Tyler and Shane where they discussed the condition of Gavin.
In the messages, Tyler told his father that Gavin was not breathing, asking what he should do, the affidavit said.
Investigators also found home surveillance footage that showed Tyler making three trips to the shed in the backyard around the same time they called 911.
'During two of these trips, Tyler appeared to be carrying items to the shed. A search of the property uncovered small surveillance cameras in the shed Tyler entered,' the affidavit said.
Screenshots of surveillance footage that monitored Gavin's room were also uncovered on Nichole's phone that showed the horrendous conditions the boy was living in.
'In most of the screenshots, the child is only wearing a heavily saturated diaper. The child can be seen curling up on the carpet-less floor of the room, which lacked bedding or blankets.
'Several screenshots also showed sores on the child's back. The room appeared to have multiple cameras, as the infrared lights from other devices were visible in the screenshots.
'The photo also showed the door handle with a locking mechanism positioned on the outside of the room,' the arrest report said.
After searching through the suspects' phones, detectives found text messages where they discussed if Gavin was allowed to 'use the bathroom' or 'be given any food.'
Their conversations also included talk about 'hitting or beating' Gavin, including 'using a piñata stick to do so,' the report said.
'They also talk about how the door to the child's bedroom is locked and how he has to knock on his door in order to leave.
'When talking about feeding the child victim, the three suspects talk about only giving the child one-third of a cup of water, only giving him a piece of bread and mustard, or not feeding him food at all.
'All of this messaging and evidence revealed a prolonged pattern of abuse over the course of several years,' the affidavit said.