Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
- Judge Camille Neider sentenced Shane Peterson to consecutive terms for the dealth of his 12-year-old son, Gavin Peterson.
- Peterson received five years to life for child abuse homicide, plus additional sentences.
- Prosecutors highlighted abuse evidence, while family members described Peterson's actions as uncharacteristic.
OGDEN — A judge broke down in tears Tuesday while reading a report on the death of Gavin Peterson, a 12-year-old boy who died after years of abuse and malnutrition.
At the same time, teachers, parents and family members of the West Haven boy also shed tears in the otherwise silent courtroom.
Shane Jesse Peterson, 47, will spend at least eight years and up to life in prison after pleading guilty to causing his son's death. Second District Judge Camille Neider said it was "telling" that she was more emotional than he was.
"Father ... you don't deserve that title anymore," the judge said during a sentencing hearing Tuesday afternoon.
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.
On July 9, 2024, officers responded to a call that said Gavin Peterson had fallen in the tub and was nonresponsive, but when officers found him, he was cold, according to a document filed by prosecutors ahead of the sentencing. First responders were able to get a faint pulse and rushed the boy to the hospital, but he died from what one doctor called "complete organ failure."
Neider ordered the sentences to run consecutively, granting a request from the prosecutors. Peterson agreed to also recommend consecutive sentences as part of his plea deal, which included prosecutors not altering his charge to murder.
Prosecutors argued that Peterson's actions not only affected Gavin but also affected two other siblings, who are dealing with emotional trauma.
"He was the man who was supposed to nurture, protect, teach and love these victims. Instead, he ignored, 'punished,' treated them with utter contempt and disregard for their humanity, and 'taught' them that parents hurt and abandon their children," the filing says.
Two of the charges for aggravated child abuse that Peterson admitted to were related to the abuse of Gavin, while the third was related to the abuse of Gavin's older sister, who had left to live with her biological mother at age 14. The child endangerment charge is related to an 11-year-old half-brother of Gavin, based on controlled substances in the home.
In monitored jail calls following Peterson's guilty plea, he said he "managed to 'push out a tear for the judge,'" according to prosecutors.
Prosecutors said there were 21 minutes between when Peterson was told his son was not breathing and when 911 was called. During that time, he had a call with his wife — which lasted 11 minutes — and returned home, where a lock on Gavin's door was reversed so it could be opened from the inside, and cameras were removed.
Gavin's room had a painted plywood floor rather than carpet, like other bedrooms in the home, with a small box drawn from tape and areas of black vomit. The home and phone downloads of family members had photos of Gavin's stepbrother but none of Gavin — "it was as if he did not exist in the home," according to the document filed by deputy Weber County attorneys Letitia Toombs and Kevin McGaha.
"The only images or videos of Gavin were of him locked in the cell, lying in a dirty diaper, covered in feces and wounds. The only text messages regarding Gavin were of how much they hated him, how terrible he was, and the torture they enjoyed putting him through," the document asking for Peterson to receive the maximum sentence says.
The court document says those texts never mention Gavin's name, instead using derogatory terms.
Peterson's wife, Nichole Lea Scott, and his adult son, Tyler Shane Peterson, also pleaded guilty to their roles in Gavin's death. Scott is scheduled to be sentenced on May 12. Tyler Peterson pleaded guilty with a mental illness and has a review of treatment scheduled on May 22.
Ahead of his sentencing, Shane Peterson's stepson and daughter-in-law filed letters saying this behavior was uncharacteristic.
"He is someone who always goes the extra mile (whether) you are family, a friend, a co-worker or a complete stranger," Dolan Rivota said, asking the judge and parole board to take Shane Peterson's entire history into account.
Multiple people also filed victim impact statements for the judge to review, but those are not available to the public.
Contributing: Garna Mejia and Heather Peterson
