Older Sibling Convicted of Forcing 12-Year-Old Into ‘Death Camp’ While Family Visited Disneyland

Tyler Peterson was sentenced to prison for his alleged involvement in the death of his 12-year-old brother Gavin Peterson. The young boy died after suffering years of abuse and neglect inside his home in 2024. The sentencing comes more than a year and a half after Gavin's death.

At the hearing, Tyler Peterson's attorney and his mother urged the judge to spare him from prison. Gavin and Tyler's mother in a letter pleaded that her older son was brainwashed from a young age and that he would never do this on his own. She further said that he was also a victim of abuse and suffered from intellectual disabilities.

Judge Camille Neider, however, said the 23-year-old shared responsibility for what happened to his little brother. According to KUTV, Neider called the case one of the most difficult she has handled in her 31 years on the bench.

Neider addressed Tyler directly and said, “You had an opportunity to not engage in the behavior that you have engaged in. You were an active participant since 2020. There's no doubt about all of that.”

Defense attorneys argued that Tyler acted out of fear and manipulation.

“His world was so small because of his disabilities. He didn’t know who to talk to. He went along with it. He perpetuated some of it. When Nichole said jump, he said, ‘How high?’ Why did he say that? Because he didn’t want to be in that room like Gavin," KUTV reported.

Prosecutor Kevin McGaha, however, argued that Tyler Peterson's actions went far beyond survival. He presented evidence, text messages and photographs that showed Tyler actively participating in the abuse that was being inflicted on his younger brother. It included beatings and making Gavin hold his bladder. McGaha recounted how the family left Gavin and Tyler Peterson by themselves while the rest of the family went to Disneyland.

Tyler Peterson has been sentenced to five years to life in prison, with two additional sentences of one to 15 years. In May 2025, their father, 47-year-old Shane Peterson, and stepmother, 50-year-old Nichole Lea Scott, were sentenced for their roles in Gavin Peterson’s death after they also entered guilty pleas.

Gavin Peterson was subjected to years of escalating abuse that included starvation, isolation and physical torture. He was confined to a small, bare room marked with blue tape, monitored by surveillance cameras, and denied basic human dignity. He had no access to the washroom and was fed half a glass of water a day with a piece of bread. He was forced to wear a diaper that was often soiled.

On the day Gavin died, after he was found unresponsive, Tyler Peterson and his step-mother Nichole Lea Scott allegedly 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.

At the time of his death, Gavin was severely malnourished, dehydrated, and wounded all over his body. Gavin’s cause of death was ruled as complications from sepsis, with contributing factors including pneumonia, dehydration, and untreated infections. His manner of death was ruled a homicide.