Prosecuters argued that 19 month old, DeVarion Gross’ life was cut short by a mother who hated him.
Yesterday a jury found Sherita McNeil of Garner guilty in the death of her 19-month-old son, whose body was found in a garbage bag in her bedroom closet in November 2008.
Sherita was convicted of first-degree murder and concealing the death of DeVarion Gross. The murder conviction carries a mandatory life sentence without the possibility of parole.
At least one juror cried as the judge read the verdict, but McNeil showed no emotion.
In a letter found by police and read by prosecutors, McNeil writes that “hate” is “all (she) has for” DeVarion and that she doesn’t love him and “never will.”
The boy’s remains, concealed in a garbage bag, were found on Nov. 14, 2008, by relatives concerned that they hadn’t seen him in weeks. His body had been covered in bleach to hide the odor. Police said the boy was last seen alive Oct. 3, 2008.
Because the remains were so decomposed, the medical examiner could not pinpoint an exact cause of death. Jurors heard from two experts, neither of whom could say definitively how DeVarion died.
