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Nicole Diar’s Background

In 1979, when Nicole Diar was four years old, her brother accidentally set her nightgown on fire. She suffered life-changing burns over 20% of her body.

She was bullied in school, with other students calling her Freddy Kruger.

By the time she turned 18, she had 61 surgeries.

At points in her life, she would work at summer camps for burn victims to help them deal with the emotional burden of having burn scars on their bodies. She volunteered at fire departments, helping them teach fire safety to the community.

Due to her appearance, she thought she would never have kids, but in 1999, she welcomed Jacob Diar into the world. The blessing of a child soon turned into a nightmare when she realized she loved partying more than she loved her son.

She started handing him over to family or babysitters and tipped them off to slip him some codeine to get him to sleep.

By 2003, the 28-year-old Nicole and 4-year-old Jacob were living in Lorraine County, Ohio.

Murder of Jacob Diar

On August 27, Nicole ran out of her home, screaming that the house was on fire and she couldn’t find Jacob.

Police found the young boy dead in an upstairs bedroom. Nicole claimed she tried to save him, but the smoke overwhelmed her.

Investigators didn’t buy it. She didn’t smell like smoke, and she didn’t have any soot on her body.

As the investigation progressed, the detective learned Nicole was at a karaoke bar dancing and singing the day she buried Jacob.

When autopsy results came back, they showed that Jacob did not have any soot or smoke in his lungs, meaning he was killed hours before the fire was set.

Nicole was arrested for murder, arson, and several other offenses.

Legal Proceedings

She went to trial in 2005 with the prosecution, saying she thought she could commit the perfect murder because she had volunteered at fire departments.

The defense had witnesses testify that she was a great mother and only danced and sang after her son’s funeral because she was heavily medicated.

They also said she didn’t show normal emotions because the bullying she suffered at a young age made her keep it bottled up.

Jurors deliberated for four hours before siding with the prosecution, convicting her of aggravated murder, arson, and eight additional felonies.

At her November 2005 sentencing, her lawyer argued that the trauma she suffered from being burned as a child was a mitigating factor that should keep her off death row.

Also, during sentencing, Nicole told the judge, “I didn’t kill my son. I couldn’t show remorse for something I didn’t do.”

She was sentenced to die by lethal injection.

Her Death Sentence Is Overturned

Her death sentence was overturned in 2008 after the Supreme Court ruled that the jury was given incomplete instructions.

In 2010, Nicole agreed to a deal that would allow her to plead guilty to aggravated murder and serve life without the possibility of parole.

Now 51 years old, she remains locked up in the Ohio Reformatory for Women.