Lori Meers was sentenced to prison for intentional aggravated abuse and manslaughter following the death of her mother in Cottonwood Heights, according to a September 8 statement from Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill.
A Third District Court judge sentenced Meers to one to 15 years for aggravated abuse of a vulnerable adult and one to 15 years for manslaughter. The judge ordered the sentences to be served consecutively.
The charges stem from an investigation into the death of W.P., who was nonverbal and had dementia. On March 10, 2025, police were called to Intermountain Medical Center for an elder abuse investigation after W.P.'s twin sister, R.M., discovered the victim in an unsafe condition.
According to investigators, W.P. was found covered in several days old feces and was hypothermic. Medical professionals determined that W.P. died on March 19, 2025, from septic shock caused by acute pancreatitis. While the manner of death was determined to be natural, the immediate cause was septic shock.
Detectives found that Meers acted as the primary caretaker for W.P. for a long time. During the investigation, it was noted that Meers had previously told R.M. she had called an elder abuse hotline because she was unable to care for W.P., but later claimed the hotline never responded. When R.M. arrived at the home on March 10, Meers was not present, but W.P.'s grandson, L.M., was on site.
The legal proceedings included jury selection starting on July 7, 2026. On Friday, July 10, 2026, the jury returned a guilty verdict on both counts against Meers.
District Attorney Sim Gill stated that the defendant's treatment of her mother amounted to torture and characterized the situation as outright neglect rather than a mistake by an overwhelmed caretaker.
