Utah Couple, Who Starved Their Daughter, 3, To Death, Might Get Death Penalty

An Ogden couple may face a death penalty for starving their three-year-old child to death. The prosecutors have filed a notice seeking the death penalty against the couple who even taunted their toddler with food before she died.

Angelina Costello, 3, was found dead in her house in July 2017, when the Ogden authorities responded a 911 call which reported the girl had stopped breathing. The responders reported the kid had been dead for some time and her whole body was covered in bruises, lacerations, and open sores.

Miller Costello, 25, and his wife, Brenda Emile, 23 have been charged with aggravated murder. The couple had even recorded their heinous crime which was received by the investigators.

The video shows Angelina forced to feed her siblings, who were unharmed. In another video, the mother offers her some eggs, and when she tries to take the food, she pulls it back saying, "Haha, no food for you."

In a hearing in February, one detective called the child as resembling a Holocaust survivor. Another detective said,

Severely malnutrition [sic] doesn't even really describe it. Starvation would be better.

One of the detectives told at that time that the child's mother put makeup on her body to hide the severity of injuries. "It's the worst case of child abuse I've ever seen," said Chris Bishop, Ogden police officer.

The couple, who has pleaded not guilty to the charges, has been held in Weber County Jail without bail.