A mother was sentenced to 25-years-to-life in prison Friday for the death of her special needs son, Law & Crime reported.

Veronica Aguilar faced the consequences of her actions and pleaded no contest to assault on 11-year-old Yonatan Daniel Aguilar, per Law & Crime. The young boy suffered years of neglect and abuse, ultimately leading to his untimely demise. During the sentencing, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Larry Paul Fidler remarked on the “terror and fear” Yonatan must have endured in his final moments, according to City News Service.

The case has drawn significant attention, with retired Los Angeles Police Detective Moses Castillo expressing a poignant sentiment in court, suggesting that if Yonatan could speak, he might have said, “I love you” and “I forgive you,” to his mother, per City News Service.

Mother who sedated her special-needs son, 11, found dead wrapped in blanket in closet, sentenced to 25 years to life in state prison

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— Law&Crime Network (@LawCrimeNetwork) December 9, 2023

“An innocent child whose life was tragically and unjustly cut short by the years of neglect and abuse at the hands of his mother,” LA County Deputy District Attorney Alexander Bott said, per Law & Crime. (RELATED: Mom Charged With Murder After 7-Year-Old Daughter’s Body Reportedly Found Decaying In Closet)

Details of the alleged abuse emerged during the trial, including Aguilar’s description of her son as “pure evil.” She also admitted she sedated him and hid him in a closet, Law & Crime reported. The boy’s stepfather was unaware of the situation, as Aguilar had misled him into believing that Yonatan was in Mexico for treatment, per the outlet.

The case first came to light Aug. 22, 2016, when police were called to a suspicious death involving a child, per Law & Crime. The stepfather discovered Yonatan’s lifeless body wrapped in a blanket in a closet of their home, per the outlet. Paramedics pronounced the boy dead at the scene, noting signs of severe malnutrition and physical abuse, per the outlet.

Court records revealed Yonatan had been confined in closets for three years before his death, per Law & Crime. Reports from his teachers indicated he was often hungry, stole food and showed up at school with injuries, including a black eye. Aguilar eventually pulled him out of school, falsely claiming she had sent him to a special school in Mexico.