Trial continues for Cape Coral mom accused of starving child to death

The trial for the Cape Coral mother accused of starving one of her children to death and neglecting the others continued on Monday.

The state says Sheila O’Leary failed to give Ezra, her 18-month-old toddler, enough food, water, and medical care and is accused of starving her kid to death.

Witness testimony on Monday argued that the little boy was not getting the essential nutrients he needed like vitamin B12, calcium and iron.

The reason Ezra was not getting the nutrients he need, the state argued, was due to a restricted diet consisting of raw foods like mangoes and avocados.

Doctor Nicole Avena, a research neuroscientist who studies child nutrition, testified that this restrictive diet would affect the child’s physical and mental development.

Avena told the jury the symptoms Ezra showed before his death, like swelling of extremities and not walking, suggest he suffered from a protein deficiency that is typically seen in kids in poor countries with limited food available.

Doctor Avena said that based on what she knows, Sheila O’Leary’s kids were not following a healthy vegan diet.

“There were a variety of different lapses in nutrient needs that did not seem to be met with supplements or alternative foods. There did not seem to be enough of a variety of foods in the children’s diet to allow them to get all the nutrients that they would need to have a healthy diet,” said Avena.

The jury also heard from the medical examiner on Monday.

Submit