Vegan mom gets life in prison for starvation death of son

A vegan woman convicted of murder for causing her young son to die of malnutrition has been sentenced to life imprisonment.

Sheila O'Leary, 38-year-old vegan mother, was charged with causing the death of her son Ezra O'Leary by feeding her only fruit, vegetables and breast milk, TRT Haber reports.

He was sentenced to life imprisonment after the court found Sheila guilty of first-degree murder.

O'Leary was charged with first-degree murder, as well as gross child abuse and willful manslaughter.

Her husband, Ryan Patrick O'Leary, who is currently in prison and is on trial, is expected to be convicted on the same charges.

Prosecutors said the couple told the toddler to feed them breast milk, raw fruits and vegetables.

According to police units, the 18-month-old boy weighed 8 kilograms and was the same weight as a 7-month-old baby at the time of his death in September 2019.

O'Leary has two other malnourished children, ages 3 and 5, according to US jurisdiction.

In a previous malnutrition case in Virginia, a child was reinstated to his biological father, according to court records.