A 51-year-old Utah woman, Nichole Lea Scott, pleaded guilty to murder and other charges after being accused of starving her 12-year-old stepson, Gavin, to death. The boy's father and brother previously pleaded guilty to child abuse homicide and other related charges on March 20.
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According to East Idaho News, Scott pleaded guilty to murder, three counts of aggravated child abuse, two counts of obstruction of justice, child endangerment, and possession of a controlled substance on Monday, April 7. She was originally charged with child abuse homicide, but the charge was amended to murder after she agreed to a plea deal. In turn, the aggravated child abuse charge was added.
As per the outlet, Nichole Lea Scott, Shane Jesse Peterson, 47, the boy's father, and 22-year-old Tyler Shane Peterson, the boy's brother, were accused of starting 12-year-old Gavin Peterson to death. The three of them were arrested back in July 2024, two weeks after Gavin died at a local hospital.
Alleged Abuse
Back then, the family called 911 and reported that he had stopped breathing and was vomiting. Both Scott and Shane told medical staff that Gavin had been experiencing seizures, as per the outlet. However, they allegedly refrained from transporting him to the hospital.
Shortly after Gavin Peterson arrived at the hospital, he was pronounced then. It was then that doctors noticed that Gavin had experienced a level of malnutrition. His state was so extreme that his internal organs had shut down completely, as per charging documents. "The child's body was visibly emaciated," the documents read.
The documents reveal that authorities found messages between Nichole, Shane, and Tyler discussing Gavin's abuse, which included beatings. Allegedly, Gavin was locked inside his room with several surveillance cameras recording him. Moreover, it is alleged that Gavin only wore a "heavily saturated diaper." His room had no bed, blankets, or even a carpet.
"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," the charging documents read. "All of this messaging and evidence revealed a prolonged pattern of abuse over the course of several years."
According to ABC4, Shane Jesse Peterson pleaded guilty to child abuse homicide, two counts of aggravated child abuse, and child endangerment on March 20. Tyler Shane Peterson pleaded guilty to child abuse homicide, two counts of aggravated child abuse, and obstruction of justice. Tyler entered a guilty plea with a mental condition.
Shane Peterson will be sentenced alongside Nichole Lee Scott on May 12.
