This afternoon, Leslie Zeagler, of Cape Coral, was adjudicated guilty and sentenced, to more than 15 years in prison (184 months) followed by 10 years of probation for one count of Aggravated Manslaughter of a Child. The first 24 months of probation will be drug offender probation. She was also sentenced to 174 months in prison followed by 6 months of probation, for one count of DUI Manslaughter, to run concurrent to count one.
The defendant’s driver’s license was also permanently revoked. The defendant will need to follow a 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew when released from prison. She will have to undergo a substance abuse
evaluation and follow all recommendations. She must also attend a DUI school and a Victim Impact Panel. She will be subject to random drug and breath testing and must do 100 hours of community service. She also received a $2,000 fine and was ordered to pay court costs and the cost of prosecution.
In February 2020, Zeagler crashed her mini-van in Fort Myers. The vehicle rolled, ejecting a 3-year-old. The child later died. The Fort Myers Police Department handled the crash investigation and determined the child had not been in a child restraint in the vehicle. Zeagler was also found to be under the influence of controlled substances which led to her arrest.
Assistant State Attorney Mara Marzano, of the Homicide Unit, and Chief of the Special Victims Unit, Francine Donnorummo, prosecuted the case.
Samantha Syoen – Communications Director, State Attorney’s Office