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- Nichole Lea Scott, 51, pleaded guilty to murder and child abuse in her stepson's death.
- Gavin Peterson, 12, was starved by Scott, his father and brother and died in July 2024.
- Scott's sentencing is May 12; family members admitted to prolonged abuse of the boy.
OGDEN — A West Haven woman accused of starving her 12-year-old stepson pleaded guilty Monday to her involvement in his death.
Nichole Lea Scott, 51, pleaded guilty in Ogden's 2nd District Court to murder, a first-degree felony; three counts of intentional aggravated child abuse, a second-degree felony; two counts of obstruction of justice, a second-degree felony; child endangerment, a third-degree felony; and possession of a controlled substance, a class A misdemeanor.
Initially, she was charged with child abuse homicide, but as part of the plea deal, the first charge was amended from child abuse homicide to murder, and an additional aggravated child abuse charge was added. The plea agreement also stipulated sentencing for the crimes would run consecutively.
Scott was emotional and crying as she admitted to the court that her actions contributed to Gavin Peterson's death. She and the boy's father, Shane Jesse Peterson, 47 — with the help of the boy's brother Tyler Shane Peterson, 22 — are accused of starving Gavin to death. The three family members were arrested less than two weeks after Gavin died in July 2024, when the family members called 911 because they said Gavin was sick, had been vomiting and stopped breathing.
Shane Peterson and Scott told medical crews that Gavin had been experiencing seizures, but they did not take him to a doctor, the charges state. Gavin was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead a short time later.
Doctors who examined Gavin's body after his death say he "showed malnutrition to the point the child's internal organs had shut down completely. The child's body was visibly emaciated," according to charging documents.
Police searching the phones of Shane Peterson, Scott and Tyler Peterson found conversations between the three that discussed abuse, including beatings, the charges allege. Police also located illegal narcotics in a common area of the home.
The three family members locked Gavin in his room and used multiple surveillance cameras to record him, charges state. The recordings show the child often wore only a "heavily saturated diaper," was given no carpet, bedding or blankets, and had sores on his back.
While reviewing Scott's phone, police discovered several screenshots from the surveillance system had been recently deleted and were in the "trash" folder.
"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," charging documents state.
Shane Peterson and Tyler Peterson both pleaded 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, that Gavin was subjected to a "prolonged pattern of abuse over the course of several years."
Scott's sentencing hearing will be held on May 12, along with Shane Peterson's sentencing.
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