What to Know
- Three-year-old Ahziya Osceola died March 19, 2015, and was found dead in a box at his Hollywood home
- His stepmother, Analiz Osceola, 32, was charged with aggravated manslaughter, lying to law enforcement and child neglect with great bodily harm
- A jury convicted her eight years later
A Broward County jury Friday found a woman guilty of aggravated manslaughter in the death of her 3-year-old stepson, a story that tore at the heart of the Hollywood community in 2015.
Prosecutors said Analiz Osceola, 32, lied to police and abused young Ahziya Osceola to death.
Jurors deliberated for about two hours before handing down the guilty verdict. The child's biological mother wept as Osceola was put back in handcuffs.
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“I think mainly for the family, it gives them closure," said prosecutor Neva Rainford-Smith. "It’s been eight years, this case is eight years old, and for the last five years, they’ve watched the defendant out on bond and they were held in limbo. So in a way for me, I just wanted to give them some measure of justice and peace and to have closure, and the one thing I can say about this is justice is slow but sure, and today she got her reckoning.”
Ahziya died on March 19, 2015. His body was found in two garbage bags, stuffed in a box inside the family home on Johnson Street. Investigators said the boy suffered severe internal injuries, and died of blunt force trauma.
Prosecutors told jurors that Osceola knew the 3-year-old was seriously hurt, suffering, and not only failed to help him seek treatment, but abused him and inflicted more pain as he lay dying.
Osceola’s attorney told jurors she admits to lying to police and making up a story that the boy was missing. But he said Osceola did not cause the injuries that killed him, and instead suggested someone else who lived in the house is responsible.
Prosecutors were able to show that Osceola admitted to not even calling 911 as the little boy was groaning and wheezing just a few feet away in the bedroom.
She faces up to 31 years in prison. Sentencing is set for April 14.
The child's father, Nelson Osceola, testified in court earlier this week. He claimed he wasn't aware of the abuse the boy went through before he was found dead.
The father said Analiz was a stay-at-home mother and his son’s primary caretaker, in charge of feeding and bathing him.
