A mother who kept her adopted children confined to a filthy room with no access to food has been found guilty of her daughter’s murder.
The Des Moines Register reports that Nicole Finn, 43, was convicted of kidnapping and murder for the death of her 16-year-old daughter, Natalie, in October 2016.
Nicole had been accused of keeping Natalie, along with two of her siblings, confined to a room with nothing but a mattress, and without regular access to food or the bathroom. As CrimeOnline previously reported, Natalie had become so weak from malnourishment that she was unable to stand and walk to get her own food — and her mother refused to help her.
Natalie’s brother, Jaden, testified in court that Nicole told her dying daughter, ‘Since you’re not going to get up, I’m not going to feed you.”
Nicole Finn is found guilty of first degree murder and kidnapping for starving her adopted daughter, Natalie Finn to death. Look for updates @WHOhd Her punishment: Mandatory life imprisonment. pic.twitter.com/o308jHJsgR
— Sonya Heitshusen (@newzgirl) December 14, 2017
According to the Des Moines Register, the jury deliberated for only one day before finding Nicole Finn guilty.
“In 18 years of being a prosecutor, this is the worst case I’ve ever seen,” prosecutor Bret Lucas reportedly said in court after the jury delivered their verdict.
“I’m glad we got justice for Natalie, and can give Jaden and Mikayla (Natalie’s sister) some closure.”
During testimony, the jury heard that Nicole was dedicated to animal rescue efforts but treated her children, who she had adopted from foster care, worse than the animals in her care. She reportedly sent a text message to her ex-husband days before Natalie died, calling the children “worthless” and claiming that she would not feed them until they took a shower — though Natalie become too weak to walk in the days before she died.
Nicole Finn faces life in prison, and will be sentenced on January 26.
[Feature image: Facebook/Natalie Finn]