Posted: 18:03, July 1, 2022 | Updated: 18:46, July 1, 2022
A vegan mother has been found guilty of murder over the death of her 18-month-old son who weighed just 17kg when he died in 2019 after a short life fed only on fruit, vegetables and breast milk. Sheila O’Leary, 39, was convicted by a jury in Cape Coral, Florida, on Tuesday after a week-long trial. He now faces up to life in prison and will be sentenced on July 25. Her son Ezra died in 2019 from complications caused by malnutrition. Doctors determined she had not eaten for a week before she died in September 2019. Sheila and her husband, who has also been charged with murder and is awaiting trial, called 911 after Ezra stopped breathing. Mother of four Sheila Leary is pictured above. Her 18-month-old son Ezra died of complications from malnutrition in September 2019 Sheila O’Leary, 39, was convicted by a jury in Cape Coral, Fla., on Tuesday after a weeklong trial. Sheila and her 30-year-old husband Ryan said they were both charged with murder following the 18-month-old’s death. They admitted to police that they should have called 911 when Ezra started having trouble breathing in 2019, but that they went to bed instead. Rescuers pronounced the child dead at the scene. They also examined the couple’s three older children. The couple were charged in December 2019 after Ezra’s cause of death was revealed. He chose to ignore his cries. He didn’t need a scale to see his bones. He didn’t need a scale to hear his cry, No photos have ever been released showing the condition the child was in when he died. But prosecutors at Sheila’s trial described an emaciated child who cried constantly. He chose to ignore his cries. He didn’t need a scale to see his bones. “He didn’t need a scale to hear his cry,” Assistant District Attorney Sarah Miller said. The family home in Cape Coral, Florida, where the three children lived with their parents. The other children were placed in the custody of children’s services The couple also had a three-year-old and a five-year-old who were severely malnourished. Their skin was yellow and some suffered from such poor dental hygiene that their teeth were black. Sheila also has an 11-year-old daughter from a previous relationship and her health was much better than that of the other children. The court heard how Sheila fed the children mainly mangoes, bananas and avocados. Ezra was also breastfed Police believe it is because the girl regularly visited her father in a different state and received a proper diet there. The three children were fed a diet consisting mainly of mangoes, bananas, avocados and rabutan. It is unclear if they ever saw a doctor. Ezra was born at home and had never been to a doctor. According to police, on the day she died, the toddler was nursing when she started having trouble breathing. Instead of calling for help, his parents say they went to bed. By the time they woke up, he had stopped breathing completely. Ryan O’Leary, the woman’s husband, has also been charged with murder and manslaughter. He is awaiting trial
