A Wisconsin woman who was originally charged with the attempted murder of her teenage son has pleaded no contest to a lesser charge and avoided prison.
Heather O’Neill, 56, entered the plea on July 31 to two felony counts of neglecting a child. The plea came three years after she was charged with first-degree intentional attempted homicide and first-degree recklessly endangering safety.
According to a criminal complaint obtained by local news outlet Merrill Foto News, O’Neill called 911 on the evening of June 20, 2023, and told dispatchers, “I just gave my son and myself an overdose.”
She said she had given her 16-year-old son, who has autism, “Trazodone, sleeping aids, and sedatives.” She later told a sheriff’s deputy, “I’m tired of living like this,” and “I’m done,” explaining that the teenager had “violent tantrums.”
The complaint states that O’Neill left a suicide note at the home in Merrill, Wisconsin, where she lived with her son. The note read in part, “I can no longer remember why I even wanted a child.” Referring to her son, she wrote, “He has been such a miserable burden to me and will continue to be so. Never will this end. Never will I be able to live the happy peaceful life that I have needed.”
At the hospital, O’Neill told police, “I’ve snapped, this is 16 years of his violent tantrums. I can’t take it anymore, he beats me up. I wanted it to be over for both of us.”
The teenager eventually recovered, though he had to be intubated at the hospital after suffering a seizure. The Wausau Pilot & Review, a local news outlet, reported that the boy was in the courtroom for his mother’s sentencing on July 31, the same day she entered her plea. He declined to speak at the hearing.
The court sentenced O’Neill to nine and a half years’ probation. A prison sentence of seven and a half years was imposed but stayed, meaning she will not serve it unless she violates the terms of her probation.
She was also ordered to have no contact with her son and to write him a letter of apology. According to online court records, the court received that letter on Aug. 7.