Officers found the boy's body in the trunk after a traffic stop.
MINNESOTA BOY, 6, FOUND DEAD IN TRUNK, MOTHER CHARGED WITH MURDER: POLICE
Eli's father, Tory Hart, has sued Dakota County Social Services, alleging that employees returned his son to Thaler despite concerns about her alleged drug use and deteriorating mental health.
Julissa Thaler was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of her six-year-old son. (Fox News)
In closing arguments during the trial, Thaler's defense attorney, Bryan Leary, acknowledged she participated in the boy’s death but said she was not the one who shot him.
Eli's stepmother, Josephine Josephson, said in a victim impact statement for herself and Tory Hart that "the pain is so deep you can’t breathe."
"You can’t explain the loss of your only son ... then to have lost him in such a horrible way, you just can’t explain how that changes your life," she said.
When given a chance to respond after victim impact statements, Thaler said she was innocent and directed an expletive toward those in the courtroom, The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported.