Florida woman sentenced to life in prison for beating adopted 4-year-old son to death
08/17/2026 3:01 pm PDT
TAMPA, Fla. (TCN) -- A mother has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for beating her 4-year-old adopted son to death in 2024.
Patricia Saintizaire, 38, was convicted of first-degree murder, two counts of aggravated child abuse, and tampering with a witness on July 8.
The child, Bryan Boyer, died in May 2024. An autopsy revealed his cause of death was a deep laceration to the liver. In addition, his body showed other signs consistent with abuse.
Investigators obtained home surveillance footage that showed Saintizaire hitting Boyer, tying his hands behind his back, and throwing him in a pool. A 16-year-old sibling was interviewed and told police that their mother had warned them not to disclose anything about Boyer’s abuse to law enforcement.
Saintizaire was sentenced on Aug. 14 to life without the possibility of parole for the first-degree murder charge, plus 65 years for child abuse charges and 12 years for the charge of tampering with a witness, WSTP reports. The sentences for the child abuse and witness tampering charges are to be served concurrently with the life sentence.
The sentencing hearing lasted for less than 15 minutes and no family members gave impact statements, WFLA reports. State Attorney Brian Haas told the outlet, “The jury made the right decision in convicting Patricia Saintizaire of first-degree murder. … The life sentence was justified. While we know we cannot bring back Bryan, at least the defendant will spend the rest of her life in prison and never be able to hurt another child.”
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