Shane Jesse Peterson, 47, was sentenced to up to life behind bars following the death of his son Gavin, who died on July 9, 2024

Delivering the sentence on Wednesday, the judge broke down in tears as she sentenced a father to life imprisonment for the horrific abuse death of his pre-teen son

12-year-old Gavin died at a Weber County hospital after what authorities described as ‘unimaginable suffering’, subsequently his father, stepmom and older brother were arrested for abuse and neglect

Judge Camille L. Neider of Utah’s Second District Court fought back tears as she delivered the maximum possible sentence

Peterson pled guilty in March to five felony charges, including child abuse homicide, three counts of aggravated child abuse, and child endangerment, same as Nichole Leah Scott, 51, and Tyler Peterson 22

Peterson was sentenced five years to life in prison for child abuse homicide, three terms of 1 to 15 years for aggravated child abuse,

He also got one term of zero to 5 years for endangerment of a child, with stipulated sentences to be served consecutively 

Gavin Peterson, 12, died on July 9. Webster County Sheriff’s deputies were called to his father’s home in West Haven, Utah after it was reported that the young boy was ‘not breathing’ and ‘experiencing vomiting’ for days on end. Reportedly, he’d have been starving the boy to death, after years of abuse, locking in his room and fed only on scraps of food and water

A Utah judge broke down in tears as she sentenced a father to life imprisonment for the horrific abuse death of his son.
Judge Camille L. Neider of Utah’s Second District Court fought back tears as she delivered the maximum possible sentenced the defendant 47-year-old Shane Jesse Peterson to a life time in prison following his conviction in the death of his pre-teen son Gavin, who died on July 9, 2024.
12-year-old Gavin died at a Weber County hospital after what authorities described as ‘unimaginable suffering.’
Two other family members – Gavin’s stepmother Nichole Lea Scott, 51, and his oldest brother Tyler Peterson, 22, have been accused of along with his dad of starving the him to death, subjecting him to years of abuse.
At trial, the court heard how the boy was kept locked him in a room, with a daily ration of scraps of food and a little water as the only nourishment.

Shane Jesse Peterson, [photo], was sentenced up to life in prison following the death of his son death from abuse and neglect in July last year. Gavin’s body was ‘visibly emaciated’ with internal organs that had ‘shut down completely,’ according to the affidavit

The shocking conditions revealed in court documents show Gavin was severely malnourished before his death, and fed only ‘a piece of bread with mustard’ and one-third cup of water daily, while being locked in an empty room under constant camera surveillance. 
When discovered, the boy’s body was ‘visibly emaciated’ with internal organs that had ‘shut down completely,’ according to the affidavit.
Handing down the maximum possible sentence Wednesday, Judge Neider said: ‘I agree that you should be given the maximum sentence,’ adding, ‘I am going to run it consecutive.
‘I also am going to encourage the board to keep you until you die,’ Judge Neider stated.
Judge Neider ordered Peterson to serve five years to life in prison for child abuse homicide, a first-degree felony; three terms of 1 to 15 years for aggravated child abuse, a second-degree felony; and one term of zero to 5 years for endangerment of a child, a third-degree felony. 
Neider said it was the first time in 25 years that she got ‘teary’ in court.  

In court on Wednesday, Judge Camille Neider fought back tears as she delivered the maximum possible sentence, as she told Peterson ‘I agree that you should be given the maximum sentence,’ adding, ‘I am going to run it consecutive’

‘You were Gavin’s dad. I don’t think you deserve that title anymore, but there’s nothing that can be done to change it,’ the judge told Peterson: . 
‘You certainly were not his father and you certainly were not his protector. 
‘I also find it telling that I am more emotional about this than you are – and I think that there is reason for that.’ 
Last month Peterson pled guilty to five felony charges, including child abuse homicide, three counts of aggravated child abuse, and child endangerment.
When Gavin died last summer, three family members were subsequently arrested for child abuse homicide within days of his death. Documents later released by the Utah Division of Child and Family Services revealed several years of investigation into the Peterson family.
Those documents state that Gavin had suffered ‘severe and chronic physical abuse and severe and chronic physical neglect.’

Nichole Lea Scott, [photo], admitted on Monday to actions that led to the horrific death of her stepson Gavin Peterson in July 2024. Her sentencing hearing is set for May 12

In court last month Gavin’s stepmother, Nichole Lea Scott, broke down in tears as she pled guilty to her role in starving her 12-year-old stepson to death.
51-year-old Scott of West Haven, Utah, admitted to the crimes that led to the emaciated death of Gavin.
Scott, along with the boy’s father and the boy’s oldest brother Tyler Peterson, 22, were charged with starving the child to death and subjecting him to years of abuse, including locking him in a room and providing only scraps of food and water. 
‘When talking about feeding the child victim, the three suspects talk about only giving the child one-third of a cup of water, only giving him a piece of bread and mustard, or not feeding him food at all,’ the charging documents state. 
‘All of this messaging and evidence revealed a prolonged pattern of abuse over the course of several years.’

Gavin’s dad, stepmom and older brother were all convicted in his death, which was brought on by ‘a prolonged pattern of abuse over several years’. Gavin had suffered ‘severe and chronic physical abuse and severe and chronic physical neglect’ – Court docs

Weeping and emotional, Nichole Scott, tearfully pled guilty to murder, three counts of intentional aggravated child abuse, two counts of obstruction of justice, child endangerment and possession of a controlled substance

Gavin’s brother, Tyler Peterson, [photo], his dad Shane Peterson and stepmom Nichole Scott, all admitted to starving the 12-year-old to death, subjecting him to years of abuse, including locking him in a room and providing only scraps of food and water

In Ogden’s 2nd District Court on Monday, Nichole Scott was seen weeping and emotional as she tearfully pled guilty to murder, three counts of intentional aggravated child abuse, two counts of obstruction of justice, child endangerment and possession of a controlled substance i the death of her the stepson.  
Shane and Tyler both pled guilty to child abuse homicide and other child abuse charges on March 20. 
Part of the guilty pleas for both men involved admitting to the factual basis of the charges.
They both testified that investigator statements were true and that Gavin was subjected to a ‘prolonged pattern of abuse over the course of several years.’
Webster County Sheriff’s deputies were called to the family’s home in West Haven on July 9 after reports that Gavin was ‘not breathing’ and ‘experiencing vomiting’ for days on end.
Responding officers and paramedics who found the distressed boy on the bathroom floor, transported him to the hospital, where he later died. 

Upon hospitalization doctors found that Gavin Peterson’s body ‘showed malnutrition to the point his internal organs had shut down completely,’ according to the affidavit

His father, stepmother and older brother were all arrested in connection to the boy’s horrific death, which the court heard was brought on by ‘a prolonged pattern of abuse over the course of several years,’ informed by surveillance footage and text messages between the trio revealed events leading into Gavin’s final days.
One deputy noted that the bathroom floor where the found the child was ‘wet and the child’s skin was cold to the touch,’ the affidavit said.
‘Nichole [Scott], and Shane [Peterson], reported that the child had been ill for several days, experiencing vomiting and seizures, but was not taken to a doctor. On the day of the incident, Nichole found the child in his bedroom, covered in vomit, and assisted him into the shower.’
Once Gavin was taken to the hospital, doctors found that his body ‘showed malnutrition to the point the child’s internal organs had shut down completely’. 
‘The child’s body was visibly emaciated,’ according to the affidavit.
Upon further investigation into the child’s death, detectives discovered text messages between Tyler and Shane where they discussed the condition of Gavin.
In the messages, Tyler told his father that Gavin was not breathing, asking what he should do, the affidavit said.
Investigators also found home surveillance footage that showed Tyler making three trips to the shed in the backyard around the same time they called 911.

Stills from surveillance footage that monitored Gavin’s room at the Peterson family home in West Haven, Utah [photo], showed the horrendous conditions to which he was subjected. The deleted footage was was recovered from Nichole Scott’s phone

‘During two of these trips, Tyler appeared to be carrying items to the shed. A search of the property uncovered small surveillance cameras in the shed Tyler entered,’ the affidavit said.
Screenshots of surveillance footage that monitored Gavin’s room were also uncovered on Nichole’s phone that showed the horrendous conditions the boy was living in.
On Scott’s phone, police discovered several screenshots from the surveillance system had been recently deleted and were in the “trash” folder.
‘In most of the screenshots, the child is only wearing a heavily saturated diaper. The child can be seen curling up on the carpet-less floor of the room, which lacked bedding or blankets.
‘Several screenshots also showed sores on the child’s back. The room appeared to have multiple cameras, as the infrared lights from other devices were visible in the screenshots.
‘The photo also showed the door handle with a locking mechanism positioned on the outside of the room,’ the arrest report said.
After searching through the suspects’ phones, detectives found text messages where they discussed if Gavin was allowed to ‘use the bathroom’ or ‘be given any food.’
Their conversations also included talk about ‘hitting or beating’ Gavin, including ‘using a piñata stick to do so,’ the report said.

Gavin Gavin was under the legal custody of his father Shane Peterson. Melanie Peterson, said she lost custody of all four of her children between 2014 to 2015 after pleading guilty to a drug-related charge

‘They also talk about how the door to the child’s bedroom is locked and how he has to knock on his door in order to leave.
‘When talking about feeding the child victim, the three suspects talk about only giving the child one-third of a cup of water, only giving him a piece of bread and mustard, or not feeding him food at all.
‘All of this messaging and evidence revealed a prolonged pattern of abuse over the course of several years,’ the affidavit said.
Sentencing hearing for Nichole Scott is scheduled for May 12.