A 68-year-old Florida woman, Kim Zaheer, has been sentenced to six years in state prison for the 2018 aggravated manslaughter of her 88-year-old mother, Frances Hildegard King.
Seventh Judicial Circuit Judge Dawn D. Nichols handed down the sentence on Thursday after Zaheer pleaded no contest to the charge in September.
Deputies with the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office discovered King deceased in a bed on December 5, 2018, in a home described as “extremely bad,” with an “unbearable” odor. King was found to be severely malnourished, weighing only 53 pounds. Her body was covered in fecal matter, and she was clothed in a garbage bag used as a diaper.
Medical professionals described King’s condition as resembling that of a World War II concentration camp prisoner, a detail Judge Nichols called “truly horrific.” The cause of death was determined to be severe emaciation.
Zaheer received credit for over 4.5 years of time already served. She will serve just over one year of her remaining prison sentence, followed by 10 years of probation.
The sentence was shorter than the state’s minimum guidelines of over 11 years, and was waived due to the nature of the case and Zaheer’s health challenges.
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