Texas woman known as 'Half-Ton Killer' has shed 800 pounds since nephew's tragic death -PHOTOS

A Texas woman once reviled as the "Half-Ton Killer" is now an inspiration.

Mayra Rosales faced capital murder charges in 2008 after admitting to crushing her 2-year-old nephew by rolling over on him with her 1,034-pound frame.  CLICK TO LISTEN

 

 BEFORE THE DEATH OF NEPHEW

 

 AFTER  THE DEATH OF NEPHEW 

 But it was an oversized lie meant to save her sister, Jaime Lee Rosales, who actually struck the young boy on the head.

That unflattering nickname is all that remains from a difficult time. Mayra Rosales, 34, beat the murder rap and shed the weight.

"I was dying," Rosales told KTRK. "I don't know if you had seen pictures before you could see it in my face. I had given up in life. I was alive but not living a life."

Through a combination of diet and bariatric surgery, Rosales dropped more than 800 pounds, she told the Houston TV station.

Rosales, from La Joya along the Mexican border, now weighs 200 pounds and plans to lose 30 more.

"Food to me is I have to eat to live," she admitted. "Before it was living to eat, and now you know, it's just something normal."