kid dies weighing 255 pounds. parents charged with 2nd degree murder

[BlueWaveNeverEnd]

[rampartd]

1. murder?

i don't know.

certainly, some kind of child protective situation, i might get to manslaughter but unless they were force feeding the kid .....

[WhiskeyGrinder]

2. The parents are accused of not taking the kid to a doctor for his health issues.

[rampartd]

3. kids die of measles every day

how many parents charged?

[LisaL]

14. If a child was dying from measles and parents

didn't take him or her to the doctor, I wouldn't be surprised if there were charges brought.

[BlueWaveNeverEnd]

7. No doctor visits, no school either

[Melon]

4. This is absolutely child abuse and as we see terminal

Why would that not carry a serious charge?7 years old a 250 pounds. The child should have been taken away long before this if someone would have reported them.

[BlueWaveNeverEnd]

18. More..boy was bedbound, eating mostly french fries and potatoe chips

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/27/us/michgan-parents-charged-murder-obesity.html?unlocked_article_code=1.tlA.oEn6.CLD2N_lA4Y6-&smid=url-share

[Jean-Luc]

5. proceded in death by younger brother...

[hookaleft]

8. where did you read that?

I read the article and watched the video but didn't see that.

[Ms. Toad]

11. Obituary.

https://www.sharpfuneralhomes.com/obituaries/casper-obrien

O'Brien, Casper Jacob Shane - Age 7, of Flint, passed away November 4, 2025. Funeral services will be held at 1:00 PM Saturday, November 15, 2025, at Sharp Funeral Homes, Miller Road Chapel, 8138 Miller Road, Swartz Creek. The family will receive friends from 11:00 AM until the time of service at 1:00 PM Saturday. In lieu of flowers, those desiring may make contributions to the family care of Damien O'Brien. Casper was born September 25, 2018, in Flint, Michigan, the son of Damien and Jessica (Gietzen) O’Brien. Casper was a bright, loving young boy whose joyful spirit touched everyone around him. He loved watching Super Monsters, especially his favorite character, Frankie Mash. He is survived by his parents, Damien and Jessica O’Brien; his beloved little sister, Illeana O’Brien; grandmother, Donna “Nana” Gooch; aunt, Mary (Tory) Ball; and uncles, Jay O’Brien and Elbert Leach. He was preceded in death by his little brother, Phoenix. Online condolences may be shared at www.sharpfuneralhomes.com

[LisaL]

13. The surviving sister

was also morbidly overweight. Would be interesting to know if she lost weight by now (I presume she was removed from these parents).
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/michigan-parents-charged-murder-7-year-old-son-rcna351984

[yardwork]

17. That is horrifying.

[lavoosh99]

6. It's Pretty Bad When Parents Let a Child Weigh Almost As Much As Trump n/t

[malaise]

9. No words

Last edited Fri Jun 26, 2026, 07:34 PM - Edit history (1)

Rec

[GenThePerservering]

10. I know mug shots are usually pretty awful

but those parents look AWFUL.

And yeah, upthread, both a kid dying of measles and this is really bad, but this is constant neglect and abuse - but I guess you don't care.

[Boo1]

12. The mechanism of death

here would probably have been him carrying so much weight on his frame that his heart couldn't physically pump blood because the fat was compressing it too much to beat effectively.

I've coached kids his age before, and even the biggest ones rarely weight over 100 lbs. He was 2.5x that. Everything that he ate to get that size, they had to give it to him.


2nd degree murder in Michigan would require that you can show the death occurred because the person put the victim in a position where severe bodily harm could happen and they were aware that it would likely end in death.

I think involuntary manslaughter would be an easier case to prove, but the fact that they didn't enroll him in school or take him to the doctor might be used to show that they were actively trying to hide his condition knowing that they would be in trouble because of it.

[Celerity]

15. they look like I expected they would

[Grim Chieftain]

16. OMG!

I hope they strap them to chairs and force feed them sticks of butter. No, I don't, I'm better than that but holy freaking hell!

[Maru Kitteh]

19. There was a boy in my hometown roughly the same age and size

There is a very real disorder that causes children to constantly, unceasingly seek food every moment they are awake. This child would wail pitiously in very real pain if he did not have food in his hands.

These parents are at first glance guilty of neglect, but there may be more to the story. It’s very sad in any case.

I do not know what happened to the boy in my hometown, as I moved away.

[VTderry]

20. It's called Prader-Willi Syndrome

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/prader-willi-syndrome/symptoms-causes/syc-20355997

A friend of mine had neighbors with a son who had it. It sounds like hell on earth for all involved.