Julissa Thaler was backed by the justice system, and her son paid the price in just ten days.
On May 20, 2022, police stopped a car in Mound, Minnesota, United States, for driving without a tire and with broken windows. At the wheel was 29-year-old Julissa. The officers noticed traces of blood in the vehicle and on her clothing, to which she replied that she had “a female problem”. She then said the blood was there because she was carrying bags of pork. Obviously, they were all excuses.
In the trunk was the body of her 6-year-old son, Eli Hart: she had shot him nine times with a shotgun while he was sitting in his booster seat.
Eli should not have been with her. Julissa had a history of addiction, and in October 2020, social workers from Dakota County had removed him from that home after finding him naked in deplorable conditions.
In January 2021, the mother lost custody of Eli again after being hospitalized for a mental health crisis. According to court records, she was experiencing psychosis and said she heard voices telling her to take her own life.
Eli was then placed in the care of Nikita Kronberg and her husband Stephen, Julissa’s cousin, so the boy remained in a family environment. During the nearly 11 months he lived with them, Nikita grew deeply attached to the little boy and helped strengthen his relationship with his biological father, Tory Hart, who was fighting legally to obtain custody.
But, at the same time, the child protection process was moving toward Eli’s reunification with his mother. Nikita was terrified of that possibility. She warned the social worker and the court-appointed guardian that she feared Julissa might be capable of killing Eli rather than allowing Tory to gain custody. It was not the only warning: Julissa’s own father told the judge that he feared for his grandson’s safety, while Tory also conveyed his concern about the boy’s condition to social workers.
Julissa’s history did not appear to work in her favor either. She had tested positive for methadone and OxyContin, failed to comply with court-ordered therapy, been expelled from a parenting program, and made repeated false accusations against the boy’s father. Even so, the process continued: Eli returned to her on a trial basis in December 2021, and on May 10, 2022, Julissa received full custody.
10 days later, the little boy lost his life at the hands of the same woman who had given him life.
Thaler was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole. Although her lawyer admitted that she participated in the child’s death, her last words were:
I am innocent, go rot. You’re garbage.