VIDEO: Stephanie Sloop blames drug abuse for son’s death
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FARMINGTON — Stephanie Sloop sobbed as she spoke about her selfish behavior and her addiction to prescription drugs which lead to the death of her 4-year-old son.
“My selfish behavior is the reason I’m standing here today pleading guilty,” she said through sobs on Monday in 2nd District Court.
Judge Thomas Kay then sentenced Sloop to serve 20 years to life behind bars.
Stephanie Sloop was scheduled for a three-day preliminary hearing. She entered the courtroom wearing tan slacks and black sweater.
Her right hand was wrapped in white bandages. Davis County Sheriff’s Sgt. DeeAnn Servey said she could not comment on how or when Stephanie Sloop injured her arm.
At times when the judge or the attorneys spoke during the hearing, it appeared as if Stephanie Sloop was sobbing then she seemed to be under control.
Joe and Becky Stacy, the father and step-mother of Ethan, were in court to hear the guilty pleas and the sentencing. Also in court was Layton Police Chief Terry Keefe and most of the officers who worked on the case for the past four years.
Ethan’s disfigured body was found near Powder Mountain on May 10, 2010. Stephanie Sloop and her husband, Nathanael Sloop, had called Layton police on May 9, 2010, and reported the young boy missing from their Layton apartment. He pleaded guilty to aggravated murder in February and is serving 20 years to life in the Utah State Prison.
Stephanie Sloop, 31, of Layton pleaded guilty on Monday to one count of aggravated murder and one count of obstruction of justice. By entering the guilty pleas, Sloop did not face the death penalty. Prosecutors also agreed to dismiss one count of child abuse and one count of desecration of a body in exchange for the guilty pleas.
She read a prepared statement, which her attorney, Mary Corporon, said Sloop wrote herself. The statement was read after Stephanie Sloop had entered the guilty pleas and before Judge Thomas L. Kay sentenced her to serve 20 years to life for the murder charge and 1 to 15 years for the obstruction of justice charge at the Utah State Prison. The sentences are to run concurrently.
“I love Ethan so much and I don’t know who I am anymore without him,” Stephanie Sloop said through tears.
Stephanie Sloop said it was her addiction to prescription drugs that caused her to not seek help for Ethan, who had come from Florida to live with her and Nathan Sloop in 2010.
“Ethan is an innocent child and I will carry his death with me as long as I live,” Stephanie Sloop said.
“Ethan’s death under these circumstances is at times too much to bear, irregardless, I’m entirely responsible because I was his mommy,” Stephanie Sloop said. “I failed to take care of him properly because I couldn’t even take care of myself.”
Stephanie Sloop said her addiction to prescription drugs and her “failure to get help paved the way for this tragedy.”
She would not blame anyone else, including Nathan Sloop, for what happened to her son.
“I have no one to blame but myself and my selfish behavior for Ethan’s death,” Stephanie Sloop said.
Corporon read the “Facts supporting a guilty plea,” document before Stephanie Sloop entered her guilty pleas.
Corporon talked about Nathan Sloop’s mental health issues, saying Stephanie Sloop was unaware that Nathan Sloop “had any history or capicity for violence.”
Both Sloops were taking medication for mental health issues, Corporon said.
She also said Stephanie Sloop suffered from domestic abuse “at the hands of significant males in her life.”
Corporon said Stephanie Sloop was condition to try not upset her abuser and believed she caused the abuse.
Corporon said Nathan Sloop did not allow Stephanie Sloop to leave the apartment unless he was with her or she had to go alone, leaving Ethan with Nathan Sloop.
Corporon said when Stephanie Sloop went to check on Ethan on May 7, 2010, Nathan Sloop told her the boy was dead.
“She became hysterical. She consumed additional prescription medications and lost consciousness until May 8, 2010,” Corporon said.
It was Nathan Sloop who said they needed to bury Ethan and report him missing, Corporon said. But it was Stephanie Sloop who bought the materials, including a shovel, to bury the boy’s body. It was also Stephanie Sloop who bought lighter fluid.
Corporon said Stephanie Sloop knows there are many times when she should have called police or sought help between May 1, 2010, and May 7, 2010.
Davis County Attorney Troy Rawlings said the plea deal from the state’s position would minimize risks of appeal, while maximizing the penalties for Sloop.
He said, ” Our hope and intent this person will never be a free person in our society,”
The Board of Pardons has scheduled the first hearing for Nathanael Sloop in 2055, which is 40 years from now, Rawlings said.
“It is time for Joe Stacy and the community of Layton to put this case behind them,” Rawlings said. “Joe Stacy can now move on and heal without the pin pricks of the legal system with appeals.”
Rawlings read a statement concerning the death of Ethan. She failed to protect and failed to act when she saw the abuse, Rawlings said.
The boy was burned and given medication that led to his death, Rawlings said.
Layton Police Chief Terry Keefe said after the hearing this case was really hard on his officers.
“This type of situation was gruesome to say the least and as most of you know this is the type of case for the officers involved will haunt them for the rest of their lives,” Keefe said.
When asked about Stephanie Sloop’s statement, Keefe said, “I thought it was self-serving, just like I thought Nathan’s statement was self-serving. It’s always easy to blame drugs and abuse.”
Contact reporter Loretta Park at 801-625-4252 or lpark@standard.net. Follow her on Twitter at @LorettaParkSE. Like her on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/SELorettaPark.
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