A 38-year-old mother from Florida, a strict vegan, faced a life sentence after being found guilty on multiple charges, including first-degree murder, in connection with the death of her 18-month-old child in 2019.
A resident of Cape Coral, the woman was ordered to spend the rest of her life in prison after a Monday verdict in which she was convicted on six counts, signaling the severity of the case surrounding the child’s death in the southwestern state last year. The child involved was Ezra O’Leary.
Police reports indicate a 911 call was placed in September 2019 after the infant failed to breathe. Upon arrival at the residence, responders discovered a tiny body weighing merely eight pounds, resembling the size of a seven-month-old baby, according to the account provided to investigators.
Authorities noted that the mother and her husband, Ryan Patrick O’Leary, remained in custody as the investigation continued, with the couple facing the same charges. It was alleged to investigators that the children were fed only raw vegetables and fruits, a diet described by some witnesses as insufficient nutrition for the age of the children, while Ezra continued to be breastfed for some time after the other changes in care were reported.
During the investigation, agents found that the couple’s two other children, aged three and five, showed signs of inadequate feeding. The mother and husband were arrested two months after the youngest child’s death, and questions about overall caregiving practices and household nutrition were central to the case proceedings.
Local coverage from WINK News notes that the defense, represented in part by a lawyer identified in reports, indicated there would be an appeal in the Lee County court following the verdict. The appeal was pursued after the defense previously declined a plea deal offered by the State’s Attorney’s Office, which had contemplated a potential sentence of up to thirty years in prison depending on subsequent legal proceedings or settlements.