MINNEAPOLIS (KFGO/WCCO) – Julissa Thaler has been sentenced to life in prison without parole for the murder of her six-year-old son, Eli Hart, after being found guilty on all charges last Wednesday.
According to those in the courtroom during sentencing, Thaler was asked if she wanted to say anything, to which she let fly an expletive and insult to those present.
Judge Jay Quam, who presided over the case, responded, with his composure saying, the worst thing a parent can endure is the loss of a child, but it’s even worse when the parent causes the child’s death, those present reported.
Thaler continued to curse and yell insults while officers brought her from the courtroom to begin serving her sentence immediately.
The state put together a strong case against Thaler, which included surveillance photos of Thaler wheeling her son out of their apartment building late one night before shooting him several times with a shotgun and stuffing him into the trunk of her car.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty released a statement following the sentence.
“We now have legal closure on this heartbreaking tragedy. But nothing will ever fill the void in the world that Eli left behind,” Moriarty said. “I hope his family can slowly move forward and eventually find some level of peace.”
The jury received the case last Wednesday after the defense presented no evidence, called no witnesses, and after Thaler denied a plea deal before the trial began.
The jury returned with its guilty verdict before the day was done.
