Cass County, MN – A Minnesota mother is set to serve time behind bars for the tragic death of her 23-month-old son, whom she killed by forcefully striking his head against a bedroom wall. Following the incident, she misled authorities by asserting that he had been run over by his father, despite the fact that the father’s vehicle was in the shop at that time.

“She took my baby’s life,” said Robert Ortez, father of Aaryan, who was killed by his mom Larena Jackson in August 2023. “I still don’t know, to this day, what really happened because she isn’t saying anything,” Ortez told Valley News Live. “I’m still trying to figure out why she did it. I don’t know why[.]”

On Monday, Jackson, 31, received a nearly 20-year prison sentence after pleading guilty in February to second-degree murder in connection with her son’s death. In her written plea petition, she asserted that she was under the influence when she caused Aaryan’s death through blunt force trauma.

“I was so under the influence of drugs, I did not know what was doing at the time of the crime and am entering this plea on Norgaard basis,” Jackson stated.

A recent plea option in Minnesota permits defendants to acknowledge their involvement in a crime and the robustness of the prosecution’s evidence, while also stating that they are unable to recall certain details because of intoxication or other memory impairments.

On the day Aaryan suffered his tragic injuries, the Cass County Sheriff’s Office received a report regarding a child who had been struck by a vehicle. Jackson contacted the authorities, asserting that Ortez was responsible for the boy’s murder, unaware that his vehicle was undergoing repairs.

“I had a car in the shop that I supposedly ran over Aaryan with, but I had a different car I was driving,” Ortez said, according to reports.

Authorities conducted a search of Jackson’s residence, uncovering significant amounts of blood spread across her Cass Lake home. Investigators also noted the presence of large holes in the wall, resembling the shape of a toddler’s head. Aaryan passed away in the hospital five days later.

Alongside the murder charge, Jackson faced accusations of first-degree assault, malicious punishment of a child, and fleeing from a law enforcement officer. She received a sentence of a minimum of 17 and a half years, with 581 days credited for time already served.

“She deserves life in prison,” Ortez concluded.