FL v. Tracey Nix: Negligent homicide trial of a forgetful grandmother

POLK COUNTY, Fla. (Scripps News Tampa/Court TV) – A Florida grandmother is on trial in the death of her 7-month-old granddaughter.

Tracey Nix enters the courtroom during her manslaughter trial on Tuesday, January 14, 2025. (Court TV)

Tracey Nix, 67, is charged with aggravated manslaughter in the November 2022 death of Uriel Schock. If convicted at trial, she faces 12 to 30 years in prison.

On the day Uriel died, Tracey told a detective that she “just forgot” the baby in the back of her Lexus SUV after driving home from lunch with friends. It wasn’t until one of her grandchildren arrived that it “suddenly” occurred to her that Uriel had been sitting in the SUV all afternoon.

Temperatures reached 90 degrees that day°Q. A medical examiner determined that Uriel died of hyperthermia from being left in a hot car for several hours.

According to Scripps News Tampa, Uriel is the second grandchild to die under Tracey’s care. In 2021, 16-month-old Ezra drowned in a nearby pond after Tracey fell asleep. A judge ruled that Ezra’s death would not be mentioned in the trial over Uriel’s death.

DAILY TEST UPDATES

DAY 1 – 01/14/25

• In their opening argument, prosecutors argue that Tracey Nix was negligent when she left her 7-month-old granddaughter Uriel Schock in a hot car, resulting in her death. The defense says it was a tragic accident, not gross negligence.
• Kaila Nix testified that an officer came to her home to tell her that Uriel Schock had died and took her to the hospital to identify her child.
• Rebecca Tucker, daughter of defendant Tracey Nix and aunt of victim Uriel Schock, testified that she arrived at her parents’ home to see her father performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation on the seven-month-old baby. The jury hears her emergency call.
• Two paramedics called to the scene said Uriel suffered from rigor mortis and was hot to the touch.