THIS BLOG IS IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER – SCROLL DOWN FOR TRIAL UPDATES
Tracey Nix is a Florida girl who’s at present on trial for the recent automotive demise of her grandchild Uriel. Uriel was 7 months previous when she was left within the automotive by Tracey in November 2022.
This was not the primary baby that died whereas in Tracey’s care although. In December 2021, her grandchild Ezra (16 months) drowned in a pond whereas in Tracey’s care.
Tracey’s daughter Kaila Shock was the mom to each now deceased kids.
Tracey is barely on trial for Uriel’s demise. Ezra’s demise isn’t allowed to be mentioned in court docket.
We are going to begin by discussing background of the folks concerned and the lead as much as Ezra’s demise.
Tracey had labored as a principal and educator in Hardee County for 39 years earlier than the incidents. Her husband is Nun Ney Nix.
Tracey’s daughter Kaila Schock-Nix is married to Drew Shock – they’re the dad and mom of each Uriel and Ezra.
The city the place these incidents occurred is Wauchula, in Florida. It’s a small city in Hardee County, with lower than 5,000 folks dwelling there. Drew and Kaila grew up there they usually started a relationship round 2018. They determined to start out a household collectively.
“This was the plan. We had been going to have three youngsters and — you understand what I imply, that was our purpose,” Drew advised the media.
The couple had one son, Asher. Their second baby Ezra Franklin Schock was born on August thirteenth, 2020 in Sebring, Florida.
Uriel was born on March 5, 2022.
When it comes to Ezra’s demise, Tracey was meant to be watching him on December 21, 2021. Nun Ney left the house to run errands and Tracey apparently fell asleep. This was within the morning. Tracey would say that she had woken up round 9am and the decision concerning the incident got here in at 12.52pm.
This data is from the incident report:
‘The sufferer was being supervised by his grandparents. Nobody else was on the residence. There’s a giant pond that’s stocked with geese, positioned on the west aspect of the property, inside ft of their residence.
Mr Nix was rocking Ezra in a recliner in the lounge. Tracey was on an adjoining couch. Ezra fell asleep. He was left on the recliner by his grandfather. Nun Ney advised Tracye that he was going to Wal-Mart to run some errands.
Tracey stated she fell asleep quickly after her husband advised her he was leaving. When she wakened, she couldn’t discover Ezra. She advised police later that the storage entrance door was ajar. She drove her automobile to the tip of the driveway and was unable to seek out Ezra. As she drove again to the home, she noticed Ezra face down in a pond.
She pulled him out of the water and started CPR. She didn’t name 911.
A neighbor heard her screaming and corroborated Tracey’s story about giving Ezra CPR. The neighbor went to assist, and by this time Nun Ney had arrived again and was additionally serving to.
Ezra ended up being airlifted to hospital and he was stated to have a faint pulse.
Police requested Nun Ney how lengthy he had been on the Wal-Mart. He stated ‘15, 20, 25 minutes? It might have been as much as an hour.”
The police measured the ground to the storage door deal with and located that it measured 35 inches. The door had a pull deal with which might have simply been opened by a baby.
Nun referred to as Drew and advised him ‘One thing occurred to Ezra.’ When Kaila discovered concerning the incident, she rushed to her dad and mom’ residence and was concerned in an auto collision. She was driving at 85mph and was six months pregnant with Uriel on the time. She stated she was watching a helicopter flying in the direction of her dad and mom’ home.
‘I might see the helicopter touchdown,’ she recalled to WSVN. ‘I didn’t look when there was a cease signal.
‘All of my airbags went off, I don’t bear in mind how I obtained out, however I obtained out and began operating to my mum or dad’s home and at this level, I don’t have footwear. I’m simply operating.
‘That was my desperation to get to my son.’
The incident report says “this seems to be a tragic accident involving non-criminal negligence.’
Ezra handed away in hospital, the next day on December 22, 2021. The medical expert gave data that Ezra’s most attain was 36 inches (the door deal with was 35 inches).
Ezra’s funeral was held on December 28, 2021. That is some data from his obituary:
Regardless of his quick time on Earth, he was deeply liked and introduced immense pleasure to these round him. Ezra will likely be without end remembered for his tender spirit and loving smile. He was his brother’s greatest good friend and the sunshine in his dad and mom’ eye. It was unattainable to not smile in his presence.
He will likely be desperately missed by his dad and mom, Kaila and Drew Schock, and his brother, Asher. He’s additionally survived by his grandparents, Tracey and Ney Nix, Joanne and Greg Schock;
On December 31, police returned to the Nix residence to get some extra data.
Nun stated that when he left to goto Wal-Mart, he pulled the storage door closed and positioned a metallic doorstop behind it. He stated he did that as a result of Ezra was recognized to open doorways and this is able to have prevented the kid from doing so.
Nun additionally stated that Ezra hated water and didn’t even like taking a shower.
Nun additionally clarified to police that he was gone for about 2 hours. He stated he obtained fuel, went to the financial institution after which to Wal-Mart.
Tracey’s model of occasions is sort of redacted. You’ll be able to learn the doc right here:
Regardless of Nun saying that Ezra might open doorways, Tracey stated the alternative. She stated she had by no means seen the kid open a door.
Police had tried to file expenses in opposition to Tracey on the time, however the Florida Legal professional’s Workplace ‘acknowledged {that a} one-time lapse of judgment wouldn’t set up culpable negligence of the caretaker.’
Kaila and Drew stated they didn’t enable their first-born son, Asher, to be alone with Tracey after Ezra’s passing as a result of they didn’t belief the grandmother ‘in any respect.’
“We had been anxious, however I liked my mom and I’m a daughter that wished her mother in her life in some capability, and in that second, I believed that I might imagine in second probabilities,” Kaila stated. “Once I was advised that Ezra’s demise was an accident, some sliver baby a part of me, thought, ‘Okay good, I get to maintain this mother. This grandmother. This particular person.’”
After Uriel was born in March 2022, Kaila and Drew had been very protecting of her.
“There wasn’t a second to get a grip of the demise of my son earlier than there was the lifetime of my daughter. And the way lovely is that, her identify is Uriel, and it’s a Hebrew identify and it means, ‘God is my mild’ and she or he got here out so small, she was lovely and simply radiant.”
“The very minor period of time that she noticed my daughter was nearly at all times supervised,” Kaila stated of her mother.
On November 1, 2022, Kaila made the fateful choice to let Tracey watch Uriel whereas she obtained her hair accomplished.
“Uri was at a restaurant with different people who I knew and trusted, they had been within the good friend group and had been holding her protected, and I had supervised many, many, many interactions that this level at my home,” Kaila stated.
This details about how Uriel died is from the arrest affidavit.
Tracey could possibly be seen taking Uriel right into a restaurant at 12.28pm. She was joined by three mates. The group left at 1.42pm.
At round 2pm, Tracey arrived again at her residence after leaving the restaurant. She obtained out of her automobile and left Uriel within the Lexus RX, with the home windows rolled up. The temperature that day reached a excessive of 90 levels fahrenheit or 32 celsius.
Tracey went inside her residence. She stated she ‘simply forgot’ about Uriel till hours later. She was working towards the piano when she ‘swiftly’ remembered the kid within the automotive.
Nun ran out to the automobile and started performing CPR on Uriel however was unsuccessful. A 911 name was made at round 5pm, advising {that a} baby had been left in a automobile and was not respiration. Authorities raced to the scene, however Uriel was pronounced lifeless by fireplace rescue personnel at 5.01pm.
A Hardee County Sheriff’s Officer went to Kaila to tell her of the information.
He stated, “‘Your child is lifeless.’ And I stated, ‘I’m sorry, what? I do know Ezra’s lifeless. Why are you right here, like what — what is that this?’ ‘No Kaila, your child is lifeless.’”
On November 2, 2022, the medical expert confirmed that Uriel’s reason for demise was hyperthermia. This was the results of her being left within the automotive with the home windows rolled up and with the engine turned off. Uriel was stated to haven’t any acute accidents, no infections and no indicators of suffocation. The medical expert estimated that the newborn died shortly after being left within the automotive as there was undigested meals in her abdomen. Uriel’s demise was dominated a murder.
On November 4, 2022, Tracey was charged in relation to Uriel’s demise.
Uriel’s funeral was held on November 8, 2022. No point out of Tracey in her obituary. Uriel will likely be desperately missed by her dad and mom, Drew and Kaila Schock, and her brother, Asher. She is survived by her grandfather, Ney Nix, and grandparents, Joanne and Greg Schock; her aunt and uncle, Jonathan and Rebekah Tucker; aunt, Kayla Schock; and her cousins, Ayden, Cooper, Arias, Alys, and Enoch. Uriel has joined her brother, Ezra Schock, in Heaven.
After the costs had been filed in opposition to Tracey, Kaila discovered concerning the expenses that had been a chance following Ezra’s demise.
Kaila stated ‘They withheld data from me, per my request, per my physician’s recommendation, that any data that might work me up or make me emotionally distressful can be dangerous to my unborn baby,’ she advised WSVN.
In a press release, the State Legal professional’s Workplace advised the media, “In circumstances involving the unintended drowning of a toddler, Florida appellate courts have acknowledged {that a} one-time lapse of judgment wouldn’t set up culpable negligence of the caretaker. (Nevertheless, if the caretaker was proven to have repeatedly allowed the toddler entry to the water hazard and never taken steps to forestall, that might set up culpable negligence). Within the 2021 incident, there was inadequate proof to determine culpable negligence. The 2022 incident is factually distinguishable and expenses have been filed.”
Kaila spoke about what a deputy advised her about Ezra’s demise when she questioned if expenses could possibly be laid.
“I used to be advised except I believed that my mother held my son’s head beneath the water and deliberately killed him, that there’s nothing else that they’ll do about my son’s demise.”
Kaila and Drew spoke to the media in 2023.
‘You couldn’t fathom it occurring twice,’ Drew stated. ‘Someone has to reply for that.
‘I would like justice for my son. I would like justice as a result of he didn’t get that. And now I obtained to take a seat right here and expose this. That approach, I don’t let what occurred to my son occur with my daughter. And simply get off scot-free as a result of I couldn’t stay with that as a mum or dad.’
‘If I’m goal – she must go to jail. As her daughter, it kills me to say it. As their mom, I demand it,’ Kaila stated.
They stated they wished their kids to know they’re ‘sorry’ and that their lives had been ‘taken by somebody that we believed was worthy of belief.’
Tracey’s trial for her function in Uriel’s demise is at present underway. Tracey could possibly be sentenced to between 12-30 years in jail. Ezra’s demise isn’t allowed to be talked about in court docket.
Jury choice started on January 13, 2025.
TRIAL DAY ONE – JANUARY 14, 2025
On day one of many precise trial, the prosecutors argued that Tracey was negligent when she left Uriel within the automobile. Her protection group argued that it was a tragic accident, not culpable negligence.
Kaila additionally took the stand and spoke of studying that Uriel had died.
Paramedics who attended the scene on the day additionally testified and stated that Uriel had rigor mortis and was sizzling to the contact.
SOURCE LIST
https://www.robartsfuneralhome.com/obituaries/Ezra-Schock/#!/Obituary
https://www.robartsfuneralhome.com/obituaries/Uriel-Schock/#!/Obituary
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/information/article-11929123/Daughter-says-mother-jail-TWO-toddlers-died-care-year.html
https://www.newsnationnow.com/us-news/southeast/florida-grandmothers-trial-starts-after-grandchild-dies-in-her-care
https://www.abcactionnews.com/information/local-news/i-team-investigates/toddler-drowns-infant-left-in-hot-car-less-than-a-year-apart-at-grandmas-house
https://www.fox13news.com/information/florida-woman-standing-trial-infant-granddaughters-2022-hot-car-death
