WEST HAVEN, Utah — A Utah woman who was charged in the death of her 12-year-old stepson last summer has pleaded guilty to several charges and will be sentenced next month.
Nichole Lea Scott, 51, is accused of killing 12-year-old Gavin Peterson by starvation. Shane and Tyler Peterson, Gavin's father and brother, respectively, were also charged and recently pleaded guilty to first-degree child abuse homicide.
Scott entered a guilty plea for the following charges on Monday:
- Murder (1st degree felony)
- Aggravated child abuse (2nd degree felony) (Three counts)
- Obstruction of justice (2nd degree felony) (Two counts)
- Endangerment of a child or vulnerable adult (3rd degree felony)
- Possession or use of a controlled substance (Class A misdemeanor)
The charge of murder was amended from the original charge of child abuse homicide.
Court documents show that Utah Homicide Survivors, a law firm representing Gavin's mother, approved of the plea deal.
Scott will be sentenced on May 12.
VIDEO BELOW: Findings of investigation into handling of Gavin Peterson case released
On July 9, Gavin was found unresponsive inside the family's West Haven home. An investigation into his death found that he experienced malnutrition to the point where his organs had "shut down completely."
The investigation showed that Gavin's family discussed beating the 12-year-old boy and not feeding him on their phones, saying they only gave Gavin small servings of water and a piece of bread with water.
Throughout several years, the Utah Division of Child and Family Services received multiple reports of Gavin being abused. An investigation into the agency's handling of the reports showed that the boy had been the victim of documented abuse as early as February 2020.
