{"slug": "parents-of-255-pound-7-year-old-boy-charged-with-killing-him-with-junk-food", "title": "Parents of 255-pound 7-year-old boy charged with killing him with junk food", "summary": "The parents of a 7-year-old Michigan boy who weighed 255 pounds due to a diet of junk food have been charged with second-degree murder, child abuse and torture. Prosecutors say Casper O'Brien died from heart failure caused by obesity and neglect, despite his father having health insurance. The parents are scheduled to appear in court on July 2.", "body_md": "**Getting your**\n\n[Trinity Audio](//trinityaudio.ai)player ready...The parents of a 7-year-old Michigan boy whose weight ballooned to 255 pounds due to a steady diet of chips, French fries and apple juice are accused of [killing their son](https://www.tmz.com/2026/06/26/parents-charged-with-murdering-obese-child-fed-him-junk-food-diet/).\n\nProsecutors in Flint charged Damien and Jessica O’Brien with second-degree murder, child abuse and torture in [the death of Casper O’Brien.](https://www.sharpfuneralhomes.com/obituaries/casper-obrien)\n\n“On the face of it, this is cruel and extreme suffering from this child caused by the neglect of the parents,” Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton told local media in a story his office [linked to](https://www.facebook.com/ProsecutorDavidLeyton/) on its Facebook page.\n\nTMZ reported the child had weighed only 104 pounds in February 2024.\n\n“Casper was a bright, loving young boy whose joyful spirit touched everyone around him,” read an obituary that said the victim was preceded in death by a younger brother.\n\nHe also had a 5-year-old sister. The children reportedly lived in squalor and weren’t enrolled in school. TMZ said there’s no indication Casper got any exercise. He reportedly suffered from bed sores.\n\nWJRT ABC12 said Casper’s death was the result of heart failure caused by dilated cardiomyopathy and obesity. Children his age who stand 50.5 inches tall like Casper [weigh around 60 pounds](https://www.cdc.gov/bmi/child-teen-calculator/index.html) on average, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.\n\nLeyton said the victim’s dad was employed and had health insurance, though it didn’t appear Casper was receiving medical checkups. The family reportedly contacted a veterinarian to have their dog treated the morning their son died.\n\nThe victim’s parents are scheduled to appear in court on July 2.", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/parents-of-255-pound-7-year-old-boy-charged-with-killing-him-with-junk-food", "canonical_source": "https://www.mercurynews.com/2026/06/29/casper-obrien-obese-child-murder-parents-charged/", "published_at": "2026-06-29 13:01:26+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-06-29 13:21:46.049052+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["ai-ethics"], "entities": ["Damien O'Brien", "Jessica O'Brien", "Casper O'Brien", "David Leyton", "Genesee County", "Flint", "Michigan", "Centers for Disease Control and Prevention"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/parents-of-255-pound-7-year-old-boy-charged-with-killing-him-with-junk-food", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/parents-of-255-pound-7-year-old-boy-charged-with-killing-him-with-junk-food.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/parents-of-255-pound-7-year-old-boy-charged-with-killing-him-with-junk-food.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/parents-of-255-pound-7-year-old-boy-charged-with-killing-him-with-junk-food.jsonld"}}