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Vegan woman dies of malnutrition at 18 months Convicted of murder - older son must wait another week to find out her fate
Fort Myers, Florida -- Vegan woman dies of malnutrition, convicted of murder Little son will have to wait a little longer to learn her sentences.
Sheila O'Leary, 38, whose family had practiced her diet as a strict vegan, was found guilty in June of six charges. Death of Ezra O'Leary. Her sentencing was postponed from Monday until she was Aug. 15 in Lee County, Florida.
Her husband Ryan Patrick O'Leary will go on trial this month on the same charges. Investigators said the couple said the family ate only raw fruits and vegetables but were also breastfeeding the infant.Police reports said the boy weighed just 17 pounds (8 kilograms). And it was about the size of a 7-month-old baby.
"This kid didn't eat. He starved to death over his 18 months," said Francine his Donormo, chief of the Special Victims Division at the Lee County Attorney's Office. said during the trial.
The couple had two other children, her 3-year-old and her 5-year-old, who were also malnourished, investigators said. A fourth child was returned to his biological father in an earlier malnutrition case in Virginia, according to court records.
Her attorney showed a photo of O'Leary with one of her children during the trial, stating that she never intended to harm her children. tried to show
"Do you look like a mother who wants to kill her child?" said attorney Lee Hollander. "Just because it happened doesn't mean she committed a crime."
Hollander called for a new trial, saying "errors" led to her conviction. If the motion is granted, she said she would like a new attorney, telling a judge in July that her attorney had not defended her. the way she wanted it.
