A Florida man will spend the next four decades in prison for the death of his 18-month-old son, who was left strapped inside a sweltering pickup truck for more than three hours while his father got a haircut and drank at a nearby bar.
Scott Allen Gardner, 34, pleaded no contest to second-degree murder, aggravated child abuse and aggravated child neglect in connection with the death of his son, Sebastian. A Volusia County judge handed down a 42-year sentence as part of a plea agreement that saw prosecutors drop an original first-degree murder charge.
According to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office, Gardner left Sebastian buckled into his car seat inside the truck on June 6, 2025, while he first went to get a haircut and then headed to a nearby lounge, where he had a beer and a shot of liquor. He briefly stepped outside once to check on an acquaintance’s vehicle before returning inside for another round of drinks. Investigators said Gardner did not call for emergency help until roughly 2:45 p.m., hours after leaving his son in the vehicle.
Officials said Sebastian’s body temperature had climbed to an estimated 111 degrees by the time first responders arrived. Emergency crews reportedly could not open the toddler’s mouth to attempt CPR because rigor mortis had already begun to set in. He was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.
The sheriff’s office said Gardner gave investigators multiple conflicting accounts of what happened before he was arrested in June 2025. Authorities also said Gardner returned to drinking after learning of his son’s death.
At Thursday’s sentencing, Sebastian’s mother remembered him as a joyful child with bright blue eyes and an infectious laugh. She told the court she carries deep anger over the loss but ultimately told Gardner she forgives him, for the sake of her own healing and her surviving children.
Gardner had been held without bond since his arrest in June 2025.