A Minnesota woman who asked a store clerk for ammo that would “blow the biggest hole” was found guilty on Wednesday of killing and shooting her 6-year-old son just 10 days after obtaining full custody of him, in a case that raised concerns about the behavior of child welfare officials.
Investigators believe Eli was shot while in his mother’s car in a Lake Minnetonka Regional Park parking lot in Minnetrista. On May 20, police stopped her for a traffic violation and discovered the body in the trunk.
Julissa Thaler found guilty on all counts in murder of her 6-year-old son, Eli Hart https://t.co/E3W3EaHuv1 pic.twitter.com/Pg9Wjxax1I
— WCCO | CBS News Minnesota (@WCCO) February 9, 2023
The defense attorney, Bryan Leary, stated that she contributed to the boy’s death but did not shoot him during closing statements. He claimed that there were no eyewitnesses, photographs, or videos linking her to the murder, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
Leary stated, “She’s not charged with the offense they have proven. “They have not proven beyond a reasonable doubt that the gun was in her hands when it was discharged nine times into her kid,” the prosecutor said. “She destroyed evidence, lied to authorities, and fled.”
Both Thaler’s testimony and her defense’s witness list were empty. Life in prison is the obligatory sentence for the offense.
The judgment date is set for February 16.
Eli’s father, Tory Hart, and Thaler were fighting over custody. Following Eli’s death, Hart sued Dakota County Social Services, alleging that workers had sent his son back to Thaler despite concerns about his deteriorating mental health and alleged drug use.
Tory Hart expressed the family’s gratitude to the jury, the judge, the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office, and justice partners in a statement released following the verdict. Eli could have avoided this terrible and heartbreaking situation if he hadn’t been returned to a dangerous environment.
The state and Thaler’s defense team both rested their cases late Wednesday morning. After the defendant informed Judge Jay Quam that she would not take the witness stand against the advice of her lawyers, the defense rested without calling a single witness.
Prosecutors contacted Kyle Kirschner, the lead detective in the shooting death of 6-year-old Eli Hart, to wrap up their investigation. Kirschner, according to Raguse, went over a “plethora” of specifics and provided convincing testimony about Google search results discovered on Thaler’s computer and other electronic devices.
More search terms discovered during cross-examination, including inquiries about blood banks and Red Cross blood donations, were brought up by defense lawyer Rebecca Noothed. They implied that the question “how much blood can a 6-year-old lose” was taken out of context and addressed blood donation instead.
The defense’s lead attorney, Bryan Leary, acknowledged that Thaler “aided and abetted” in Eli’s murder but insisted that “she’s not charged with a crime that they’ve proven.”
On May 20, 2022, Thaler was pulled over for a traffic infraction, and police later discovered Eli Hart’s body in the trunk of her vehicle. A shotgun had been used several times to shoot the child, and a weapon had also been discovered in the trunk.
Eli’s father, Tory Hart, and Thaler were fighting over custody. Following Eli’s death, Hart sued Dakota County Social Services, alleging that workers had sent his son back to Thaler despite concerns about his deteriorating mental health and alleged drug use.
