Woman Accused Of Killing 3-Year-Old Son To 'Inflict Pain' On Husband Indicted

A Florida woman accused of murdering her 3-year-old son to exact revenge on the child's father amid their custody battle has been indicted, State Attorney's Office announced Thursday.

Amy Oliver, 36, of Jacksonville Beach, was officially charged with first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse and aggravated manslaughter of a child for the October 2020 death of her son. She was also indicted on aggravated assault on an emergency care worker, reported First Coast News.

Oliver had been in a custody battle with her husband for two years when the fatal incident took place, court documents revealed.

Oliver arrived at her husband's home on Oct. 27, 2020, to pick up their child but said she needed to take a nap first. The husband grew suspicious as Oliver locked herself in the bedroom along with the child for a long time. When Oliver's husband forced open the door, he saw the unresponsive child on the bedroom floor.

The husband called 911 to report that the child was unresponsive and not breathing. He told the dispatchers Oliver had "tried to kill" the child. Emergency workers arrived at the home on Republic Drive and rushed the unresponsive child to a hospital. However, the kid was pronounced dead later.

A medical examination revealed that the boy had lethal doses of temazepam, a sedative, in his system. His death was ruled a homicide.

Oliver reportedly barricaded herself inside a bathroom when emergency officers arrived at the house. She also sent a text message that "strongly suggested that she made a pre-meditated decision to take the life of the victim" to inflict pain on her husband and his family, News 4 Jax said in a report, citing court records.

Court documents also revealed that Oliver had planned to kill herself. She reportedly stabbed the responders with a syringe as they forced their way into the bathroom where she locked herself. Officers found a purse, which had a controlled substance in it, lying on the bathroom floor.

Oliver was arrested in January 2021, three months after the child's death.