West News Wire: A vegan lady found guilty of murder in her infant son’s death from malnutrition received a life sentence on Monday.
Sheila O’Leary, 38, was found guilty in June of six crimes related to the death of Ezra O’Leary, including first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse, aggravated manslaughter, child abuse, and two counts of child negligence. Her family had a strict vegan diet. Her sentencing in Lee County, Florida, had previously been postponed four times.
Ryan Patrick O’Leary, her husband, is still incarcerated and is facing the same allegations. Despite the toddler also receiving breast milk, the parents reportedly informed investigators that the family exclusively consumed raw fruits and vegetables. The 18-month-old boy weighed 17 pounds (8 kilograms) and was the size of a 7-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 had been returned to her biological father during an earlier malnutrition case in Virginia, court records show.
