HARDEE COUNTY, Fla. — A Hardee County woman found guilty of leaving a child unattended in a vehicle for more than 15 minutes was sentenced to five years in prison on Thursday, the max she could have received.
Tracey Nix, 67, of Hardee County, left her 7-month-old granddaughter, Uriel Schock, in a hot car, where the baby died. As the ABC Action News I-Team first revealed nearly two years ago, this is the second grandchild to die under Tracey Nix's care.
Uriel's 16-month-old brother Ezra also died while he was at his grandmother Tracey's home. He drowned in a nearby pond.
On January 15, Tracey, a former teacher and principal, was found not guilty of aggravated manslaughter but was found guilty of leaving a child unattended in a vehicle for more than 15 minutes.
In court on April 3, Uriel's father, Drew Schock, talked about how he has had to relieve the moment every single day. “My wife and I are the ones who are going to have to live with this," he said. “We’re here for justice. That’s what we’re here for."
WATCH: Drew Schock speaks at sentencing hearing
While the trial was held in Polk County to seat an impartial jury, the sentencing is being held in Hardee County, where the case originated.
"As parents, what would you guys do in my position? As a parent? If this happened, not once but twice. All we can do as parents is try to see it through," Drew said. "That’s all we can do is make sure this doesn’t happen again. Because nobody thought it would happen a second time."
Kaila Nix Schock, Uriel's mother, spoke after. “I wanted our family, I wanted to save something,” Kaila said, turning toward her mother, Tracey, in court, both crying. “I still love you. I hate this. I hate that I have to choose. But you know I have to. It doesn’t change my heart."
WATCH: Kaila Nix Schock speaks at sentencing hearing
Kaila was emotional as she spoke. She said that to survive the court process, she had to find her strength and her voice. “I just wanted this to stop. I just wanted this to end. But I had to seek justice for my daughter and my son because I was already forced to choose.”
Tracey's husband and Kaila's father, Ney Nix, said social media and the news were "brutal." Ney said they didn't have all of the information or had enough to make it sensational.
According to Tracey's attorney, she was taking medication during the time of Uriel's death. At the time, Ney said he didn't realize anything was off. Now, looking back, he said there were changes.
A psychiatrist spoke after, saying he found Tracey to be "one of the most genuine people I’ve ever interviewed… honest, remorseful.”
During the hearing, the psychiatrist said Tracey was prescribed a muscle relaxer for fibromyalgia, which has a side effect impacting attention, focus and concentration. She had been taking it for years, along with twice the dosage of Ambien she should have been on. Ambien can cause issues with clarity the following day after taking it.
He added that Tracey also has sleep apnea. Lorazepam, another medication she took, can cause sedation as well as difficulties with attention and concentration.
Each of the medications individually can cause negative effects on elderly people, the psychiatrist said, and he believes they contributed to the tragedy. He said he doesn't think society needs to be protected from her, given that she has no prior criminal record and she's elderly.
After, the state prosecutor asked the psychiatrist if he could point to anything on the day Uriel was left in the hot car that spoke to the side effects of the medication she was on. The psychiatrist, however, said it's not all or nothing in terms of being affected cognitively by medications.
Tracey, who did not speak during her trial, spoke next and addressed Kaila directly. She said she wanted her daughter to know how much she was wanted and how much she is loved. “Was I a perfect mom? No. But I love you," she said.
She said she could not imagine how she would have acted if Kaila had been taken from her, bringing Kaila to tears. "I love my grandchildren. And I would have done anything for them," she said.
Tracey said she agreed to take Uriel when Kayla had a hair appointment on the day Uriel died. The car seat was behind the driver's seat, and after a lunch at Beef O'Brady's, she gave Uriel her bottle, and she fell asleep in the backseat.
Then, she said, she remembers looking in the rearview mirror and not seeing anything, so she went into the house. Once she was inside, there was nothing to remind her she was in the car.
Later, Tracey asked Ney when Kaila came by for Uriel. She then opened the car door and realized Uriel was in there all along. She knew Uriel had passed.
Tracey said she then ran to the barn to look for something to hurt herself with. "I wanted to be gone," she said.
She said she then fell down and asked God to take her because she didn't want to face Kaila and Drew. “I’m broken about what happened," Tracey said. “I didn’t want to live at that moment. But I wasn’t trying to hide anything."
Tracey then addressed her son-in-law, Drew, saying that whenever he is ready to talk, she will answer anything he wants to know.
“I think that you have the impression that I have not grieved and that I have not cared about your children,” Tracey said to Kaila and Drew. “And that cannot be farther from the truth.”
“Whatever your decision is, I want you to know that I’m already in prison. No one can do more for themselves that I have done to myself," Tracey told the judge. "I wake up every day, and I think about it. I am in my own prison, and it will last all of my life.”
Judge Rafool responded to her comments as he spoke.
"I see her more concerned with her community image than the death of a child,” Judge Rafool said, having watched video of her questioned by the sheriff’s office after this happened. Uriel’s death is not an isolated incident, the judge said. This is the second death.
"I do not believe she’s shown remorse, I believe she’s showing sorrow," he said. “Sorrow is not the same as remorse.”
"These should be freak accidents, not a natural disaster"
Dozens of Florida State University students and community allies marched through the streets of Tallahassee on Wednesday, demanding urgent action from state lawmakers on gun reform after a deadly campus shooting that left two dead and at least six others wounded.
