A Central Florida mother was sentenced for the death of her malnourished and dehydrated teen son, who weighed just 33 pounds.
During a recent hearing, defendant Talia Nelson pleaded no contest to aggravated manslaughter of a child and aggravated child abuse. She was eventually sentenced to 32 years in prison.
Nelson ignored, physically mistreated, and eventually murdered her 14-year-old son on January 1, 2024.
The victim was extremely emaciated and dehydrated, weighing only 33 pounds. He also had new bruises on his face and linear scars on his back, stomach, and legs.
The defendant informed investigators that her son suffered from a rare bone illness, lactose intolerance, and bulimia. However, investigators discovered that Nelson last took the victim to see a medical expert in June 2020.
“This case brought tears to my eyes when I saw the condition of our teenage victim,” State Attorney R.J. Larizza said about the case. “It is incomprehensible for a mother to neglect and torture her own flesh and blood to the extent we uncovered in this case. How could she watch her son suffer for weeks and months and years until he weighed less than a typical 7-year-old child? Heartless and cruel are words that come to mind. May he rest in peace, and may she be forever haunted by her brutal and vicious crime.”
The Daytona Beach Police Department investigated the case. Assistant State Attorney Andrew Urbanak successfully prosecuted the case for the State of Florida. The Honorable Leah Case heard the case and imposed the sentence.