A woman convicted of murder for only feeding her young son raw fruit and vegetables has been handed a life sentence.
Sheila O’Leary, 38, whose family followed a strict vegan diet, was convicted in June on six charges in the death of Ezra O'Leary.
The charges are first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse, aggravated manslaughter, child abuse and two counts of child neglect.
Her sentencing in Lee County, Florida, had previously been postponed four times.
Special Victims Unit chief at the State Attorney's Office, Francine Donnorummo said: “She made choices that killed her child.
"Her pride cost Ezra his life. It is a reckless disregard for human life.”
Her husband, Ryan Patrick O’Leary, remains in jail while awaiting trial on the same charges.
Investigators said the couple told them the family ate only raw fruits and vegetables, although the toddler also was fed breast milk.
The 18-month-old boy weighed 17pounds (8kilograms) and was the size of a seven-month-old baby when he died in September 2019, a police report said.
The Cape Coral couple had two other children, ages 3 and 5, who also were malnourished, investigators said.
A fourth child has been returned to her biological father during an earlier malnutrition case in Virginia, court records show.
When he died, in September 2019, Ezra weighed just 7.7kg (17lb) and according to the website babycenter.com the average weight of a boy aged 18 months should be 10.9kg (24lb 1oz).
After the alarm had been raised that the child was no longer breathing, his parents told police that the family followed a very strict vegan diet, eating only raw fruit and vegetables.
The mother claimed that Ezra had been fed breast milk, but a post mortem conducted to determine the cause of death found that the baby had died from complications stemming from malnutrition..
State Attorney Amira Fox said: “The evidence and crime scene, in this case, are gut-wrenching."
Referring to pictures shown in court, she added: "These are images as a mother and State Attorney I will not be able to forget."
Dieticians say children should eat a combination of vegetables, fruit, grain, low-fat dairy and quality protein sources.
If correctly administered, a vegan diet is suitable for children, but they may need to be given supplemental nutrients.
Both mother and father have been charged with first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse, aggravated manslaughter, child abuse, and two counts of child neglect.
