‘I feel no guilt for this’: Utah parents plead guilty to child abuse homicide in toddler’s neglect death

CACHE COUNTY, Utah (TCN) -- A mother and father accused of causing their toddler’s neglect-related death last year have pleaded guilty to child abuse homicide. 

On March 19, 2025, Carrie Murray, now 32, called 911 when she found her daughter, 18-month-old Ruby Murray, dead in her crib. According to a probable cause statement obtained by Law & Crime, Carrie Murray declined to perform lifesaving measures at the behest of dispatchers even though she was a registered nurse. She said she believed Ruby Murray was “beyond help.” Investigators later learned the child was last checked on in her crib 16 hours before she was found dead, HJ News reports.

When police interviewed her following the child’s death, Murray seemed indifferent and said she assumed her daughter died of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), Law & Crime reports. She said, “I feel no guilt over this,” and “It was her time, I guess.”

During their investigation, law enforcement reviewed baby monitor and home surveillance footage and saw that Ruby Murray’s crib was full of trash, waffle particles, and multiple sippy cups; loud rock music by Green Day and Fall Out Boy was constantly played in her room at all hours, which interfered with her ability to sleep. KSL reports the toddler was unable to determine the difference between day and night.

Investigators also learned the child was fed almost nothing but toasted frozen waffles, according to Law & Crime. East Idaho News reports her crib was covered with mesh to prevent her from climbing out.

The toddler was reportedly left in her crib all day while her father worked or played computer games; the couple called this “crib days.”

Footage obtained from the baby monitor and home surveillance shows the child was left alone for extensive periods of time, Law & Crime reports. On the day before she died, she reportedly had only 49 seconds of interactions with either parent. In the four days before her death, Ruby Murray had contact with another person for a total of 49 minutes and 15 seconds, HJ News reports. Her diaper was not changed the day before she died.

KSL reports the cause of death was complications from malnutrition and dehydration.

The Murrays were charged in December 2025 with aggravated murder and aggravated child abuse, according to KSL. They pleaded guilty to reduced charges of child abuse homicide and aggravated child abuse on July 2. 

HJ News reports their guilty pleas read, “On or about the dates alleged, the Defendant engaged in a course of conduct that resulted in the death of (his/her) child by failing to provide the proper nutrition and hydration for the child, and exposed the child to excessive heat by running a space heater next to the child’s crib.”

According to an online obituary, “Ruby was born on September 24, 2023, to her beloved parents, Carrie Marie Stacey and Mitchell Chesnut Murray, and brought immeasurable happiness to their lives. She was a sweet and curious little one, whose laughter and smile lit up every room. She loved ‘When September Ends’ by Green Day as her lullaby, and loved to dance to any music, especially Fall Out Boy and Panic at The Disco. When she would escape she could be found in the closet playing with mom’s shoe laces, dragging them behind her. Ruby loved her soft blankets, her unicorn rattle, her little Stanley cup toy, and cuddles from her daddy.”

The Murrays face up to 15 years in prison for each charge. At their sentencing Sept. 11, the judge will determine if the sentences will run concurrently or consecutively. 

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