A Florida dad was sentenced to spend more than four decades in prison after he left his 18-month-old son to die in his hot truck as he got a haircut and a drink at a bar.
The Office of the State Attorney 7th Judicial Circuit announced in a press release that Scott Gardner entered no contest pleas to second-degree murder, aggravated child abuse and neglect of a child causing great bodily harm during a hearing on Thursday, July 23.
A judge then sentenced Gardner, 34, to 42 years in prison for the crimes.
Gardner was sentenced after he left his son, Sebastian, in his truck while he got a haircut and then drank at a bar in Ormond Beach, Florida, on June 6, 2025.
Sebastian was seated in the backseat of the truck with the windows down and no air conditioning, and he only had a small, battery-powered fan pointed at him while Gardner got his hair cut at Classic Cuts and Hanky Panky’s Lounge, Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood confirmed in a news briefing shortly after Gardner’s arrest.
The State Attorney said in their press release that “medical personnel estimated the child’s body temperature had reached 111 degrees [Fahrenheit] and he had been dead for at least an hour by the time he arrived at the hospital.”
The Volusia Sheriff’s Office and the Ormond Beach Police Department launched an investigation into the boy’s death, and it was determined that Gardner lied to detectives about what happened.
Gardner was eventually arrested almost two weeks after his son’s death on June 19, 2025.
“There is no cause for celebration in resolving this case,” State Attorney R.J. Larizza said in the release. “An 18-month-old child suffered greatly and died while in the custody and care of his father.”
Larizza continued, “The father chose to drink and get a haircut instead of loving and protecting his son. A totally vulnerable and defenseless child died because of the selfish vanity of his dad.”
Sebastian’s mother, Lorena Dague, shared insight into who her son was and how his death impacted her in a victim impact statement during the sentencing.
“The short 18 months I had with Sebastian will never be enough, but I cherish every single minute we shared together,” she said, per FOX 35 Orlando.
Dague then addressed Gardner, saying that she felt a lot of anger toward him. “You took away a sweet and innocent life, and you shattered a family,” she said. “I hope you truly understand the magnitude of what you stole from this world.”
Despite her anger toward Gardner, Dague said she ultimately forgave him “for my own heart and for my boys.”
