Starved to death of brother; Youth sentenced to prison in Utah

 

 

P.P. Cherian

Utah: A court in the US state of Utah has sentenced 23-year-old Tyler Peterson to prison in the death of his 12-year-old brother after years of brutal torture and starvation. The boy, Gavin Peterson, died in July 2024.

Gavin was locked in a room on the bare floor. After being starved for months without food or water, the child's internal organs were dysfunctional. The child died of sepsis.

Tyler had tried to hide the CCTV cameras installed in the room to monitor the child. However, the police found messages from the accused about the child being abused on their phones.

The court sentenced Tyler to five years to life in prison on charges including child abuse homicide. Tyler's father and stepmother had already been convicted in the case.

Although the defense argued that Tyler had mental challenges and needed treatment, the court observed that he had been an active participant in the murder since 2020. The sentencing judge noted that this was one of the most difficult cases of his 31-year career.