By Paighten Harkins | The Salt Lake Tribune

A third relative charged with killing 12-year-old Gavin Peterson has pleaded guilty and is anticipated to be sentenced next month.

Nichole Scott, the boy’s stepmother, was the last remaining co-defendant in criminal cases filed after Gavin died from malnutrition in July 2024. Public school employees had notified the Division of Child and Family Services of suspected abuse multiple times before Gavin was pulled out of school and later died. DCFS later said that reports to Utah child welfare workers about Gavin’s family dated back to his infancy.

Scott pleaded guilty on Monday to one count of murder, a first-degree felony; three counts of aggravated child abuse and one count of obstruction of justices, both second-degree felonies; one count of endangerment of a child, a third-degree felony; and one misdemeanor drug charge.

While hers was not a capital case — meaning prosecutors could seek the death penalty — Scott’s defense attorney Randy Marshall said Wednesday it “potentially could have become one, if we had not resolved it.”

“Everyone,” he said, “is relieved to have this matter resolved. It’s just a difficult case.”

Gavin’s father and brother, who were also charged in his death, pleaded guilty in March.

Read more at SLTrib.com.

This article is published through the Utah News Collaborative, a partnership of news organizations in Utah that aims to inform readers across the state.