12-year-old forced by older brother to hold his bladder in 'death camp' while the rest of the family went to Disneyland

Background: News footage of Tyler Peterson in court during his sentencing on Feb.17 (KSTU). Inset: Gavin Peterson (GoFundMe).

A Utah man has been sentenced to prison for his role in the child abuse death of his younger brother.

Tyler Peterson, 23, was sentenced to five years to life in prison for child abuse homicide on Tuesday in connection with the death of his little brother, 12-year-old Gavin Peterson. In May 2025, their father, 47-year-old Shane Peterson, and stepmother, 50-year-old Nichole Lea Scott, were sentenced for their roles in the boy's death after they also entered guilty pleas.

Local Fox affiliate KSTU was in the courtroom for the sentencing, during which details about the abuse Gavin Peterson suffered at the hands of his brother were shared in court. Through her attorney, the boys' birth mother pleaded for her older son to be spared prison, claiming Tyler Peterson had been "brainwashed."

During Tyler Peterson's sentencing, Judge Camille Neider said he shared responsibility for what happened to his little brother, saying, "I have no evidence that you didn't know right from wrong based on the circumstances," but adding, "It's very clear you weren't the alpha" in the family.

Gavin and Tyler Peterson's mother wrote a letter that her attorney read in court that said, "I know Tyler would never do this on his own. He was brainwashed from a young age." Tyler Peterson's defense attorney, Ryan Bushell, noted that his client had described the "horrific nature of what occurred in the house."

Law&Crime previously reported that during Scott's sentencing, prosecutors said school nurses called Scott in 2023 about the boy having an infection. She texted Shane Peterson, "He does this [expletive] for attention and I [expletive] hate it and it makes me hate him more and more!"

Gavin was never seen in school again. Prosecutors said the boy was forced to live in one room of the house without a bed, no access to the bathroom, and half a glass of water a day with a piece of bread with mustard, if he was fed at all. He was forced to wear a diaper, which was often soiled. Prosecutors said Gavin was subjected to "nothing short of a prolonged death camp" while in the home.

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However, prosecutor Kevin McGaha told the court that Tyler Peterson was an active participant. He cited texts that he sent to Scott that listed what abuse the victim's older brother had inflicted on Gavin, including beatings and making the younger boy hold his bladder. McGaha recounted how the family left Gavin and Tyler Peterson by themselves while the rest of the family went to Disneyland. During the trip, he "reported incidents of mental and physical torture" to Scott.

At the time of his death, "Gavin was found with multiple bruises on his body from beatings," McGaha told the court. "Some pictures recovered show Tyler kicking and beating Gavin all on his own."

Prosecutors said during Scott's sentencing that on the day Gavin died, after he was found unresponsive, Tyler Peterson and Scott "hid surveillance cameras, removed other items from the room, and removed and replaced the doorknob in an effort to mislead the police and hide the abuse and isolation that had been happening in the home" before calling 911.

The boy's cause of death was reported to be complications from sepsis, with contributing factors including pneumonia, dehydration and untreated infections. His body had also shown signs of starvation and several other physical wounds.

Tyler Peterson was sentenced to five years to life for child abuse homicide, one to 15 years for two counts of aggravated child abuse, and one to 15 years for obstruction of justice. The sentences will be served concurrently, and he gets credit for 246 days served.