PARENTS CHARGED WITH MURDER AFTER SON, 7, DIED AT 255 LBS
Michigan parents were charged with murder after their son Casper O’Brien, 7, died weighing 255 pounds, prosecutors allege.
Damien O’Brien, 40, and Jessica O’Brien, 41, of Flint Township were charged on June 23, 2026, with second-degree murder, torture and child abuse, ABC12 reported. The boy had died on November 4, 2025.
Emergency services were called that day for a child in distress, and Casper died at a hospital. The medical examiner attributed his death to dilated cardiomyopathy, with morbid obesity as a contributing factor.
Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton described “cruel and extreme suffering from this child caused by the neglect of the parents,” TMZ reported.
What prosecutors allege
Authorities allege the parents neglected Casper, and prosecutors cited inadequate nutrition, medical care, exercise and a safe, clean living environment, CNN reported.
Prosecutors also alleged Casper became immobile and suffered bedsores, rashes and other health problems, PEOPLE reported. In a later update, prosecutors alleged he was fed French fries and chips.
Leyton said the children had never been on the government’s radar. “None of these kids even existed in the eyes of the government. CPS had never been out there, nobody knew about these kids, they had not been to school,” he said.
He also called the case “extraordinary, terrible neglect,” adding, “to me, that is willful and wanton misconduct, which is second-degree murder.”
The couple also has a daughter. WNEM reported that prosecutors allege she was neglected too, and that police found her naked, with poor hygiene and a significant cough.
Police described hoarding, no working toilet and feces throughout the family home, WNEM reported. CNN reported that one of the child-abuse charges concerned Casper’s sister and that a conviction could mean up to life in prison.
Both parents’ attorneys said they are presumed innocent. “Mr. O’Brien is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law,” Damien’s attorney said, while Jessica’s attorney, Trace Guisbert, said, “Mrs. O’Brien is presumed innocent unless and until she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.” Damien’s attorney, Elias Fanous, also told PEOPLE it was “premature to comment on the allegations and charges.”
What happened next
PEOPLE reported the parents were arrested on June 24, 2026. They were held at Genesee County Jail without bond.
At a hearing on July 2, 2026, a judge denied bond requests and ordered competency and criminal-responsibility evaluations, WNEM reported.
On September 9, 2026, the findings were recorded at a review hearing, MLive reported. The judge found both parents competent to stand trial, WNEM reported on September 10, 2026.
Leyton said the forensic examiner had found Jessica O’Brien not insane. “The forensic examiner has determined that Jessica O’Brien is criminally responsible, which means the examiner said that she’s not insane,” he told Mid-Michigan Now. He said Damien O’Brien’s criminal-responsibility evaluation had not yet taken place.
Both parents remain charged, and no conviction, acquittal or sentence has been reported. On October 15, 2026, Mid-Michigan Now reported that a judge had found both parents competent to proceed and that a pretrial was set for later in October. No jury-trial date has been announced.
