Woman Pleads Guilty in Starvation Death of 7-Year-Old Special Needs Boy

A 49-year-old woman charged in connection with the starvation death of a 7-year-old boy with special needs pleaded guilty Thursday in Broward County court.

Myrlande Multimer, who had spent nearly two years in a Broward jail awaiting trial, entered a guilty plea to charges tied to the death of Deonte Atwell. The boy was found by first responders at his home on Christmas Day in 2023, weighing just seven pounds – the size of a newborn.

Prosecutors said the child was purposely starved to death and also tortured. According to investigators, five adults close to him could benefit from a scam to defraud Medicaid.

Multimer, who was the owner of a Medicare provider company, faced second-degree murder charges. In court, she softly answered “guilty” when asked how she wished to plead.

Under the plea deal, Multimer will evade significant state prison time, receiving credit for time served. However, the judge agreed with prosecutors that Multimer must forfeit all of her nursing licenses for good and pay back approximately $25,000 in restitution.

The judge also ordered Multimer to serve seven years of reporting probation once she is ultimately released from federal custody. She still must serve out her full federal prison time for Medicare fraud charges she was previously convicted of.

Four other defendants face similar charges in connection with the boy’s death, including the child’s mother, his adult brother, his grandfather, and a nurse. Those charges remain pending.