Julissa Thaler, 28, of Minnesota mother was convicted Wednesday of murdering her 6-year-old son in 2022 and driving with his body in the trunk of her car.
She was on trial for shooting her son, kindergartner Eli Hart, nine times with a shotgun inside her sedan, say prosecutors, according to the PEOPLE.
On Wednesday, a jury found her guilty of one count each of first-degree premeditated murder and second-degree murder after deliberating for two hours, Star Tribune report.
She then received a life sentence without parole for the premeditated murder conviction, per Kare 11.
‘On behalf of Eli’s family, Tory Hart would like to thank the jury, the court, the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office and justice partners for their good work,’ Eli’s father, Tory Hart, said in a statement.
‘This is a tragic and heartbreaking event that could have been avoided if Eli had never been returned to a dangerous home.’
The murder came to light on May 20, 2022, when police in Orono pulled Thaler over after she was spotted driving her sedan on a bare metal rim without one of its tires and with a shattered a rear window.
Officers said they noticed blood inside the car.
Later, when they looked in the trunk of her car, they found her son’s body inside, say police.
Thaler was arrested shortly after and initially charged with second-degree murder.
After turning down two offers from prosecutors to plead guilty to second-degree murder, including on January 30, her charges were upgraded to first-degree murder, according to Fox 9.
‘I would never do that to my son,’ she said in court on January 30 when rejecting the plea deal. ‘I want to go to trial.’
Jury selection began on January 30. Opening statements began Friday and closing statements were made Wednesday morning.
During his testimony on Friday, Hart said his son was popular at his elementary school and dreamed of becoming a firefighter.
‘He was always really happy, outgoing, always full of energy, always,’ Hart testified, Fox 9 reports.
During the trial, jurors heard about how the upbeat, well-liked kindergartner spent his final hours.
According to a GoFundMe campaign organized to help cover Eli’s funeral costs, the boy spent 11 months living with extended family members – after the mother lost custody of Eli in January 2021 after the Dakota County Social Services Department learned that she was ‘presenting with psychosis and hearing voices telling her to kill herself,’ court documents show, the PEOPLE confirmed.
But in December 2021, a judge allowed Eli to return to his mother’s care for a home trial.
‘Due to many red flags Eli’s mother was showing, Tory tried extremely hard to get custody of Eli,’ the fundraiser description said.
‘Numerous parties made many statements to CPS, fearing that mom would harm Eli if full custody were returned. Sadly, full custody was returned on May 10, 2022.’
Authorities noted that Thaler ‘bought a shotgun and learned how to use it’ shortly after Hart filed papers asking the court for full custody, the Star Tribune reported.
Shortly afterward, she allegedly went to a shooting range with a friend to learn how to fire the gun, Fox 9 reported.
After the verdict, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty released a statement saying, ‘Eli’s brutal murder is one of the most horrific cases I have encountered in 30 years working in the criminal legal system.’
‘Nothing will ever fill the emptiness Eli’s father and other loved ones now live with every day, but I’m hopeful this verdict will make it just a bit easier to remember Eli as the toothless, happy, smiling little boy we have seen in photos.’
Thaler is scheduled to return to court for sentencing on February 16.
