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Tag: toddler death

  • Mom’s boyfriend severed toddler’s spine, causing ‘rapid death,’ CA officials say

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    The man is scheduled to appear in court for sentencing Dec. 4, according to prosecutors.

    The man is scheduled to appear in court for sentencing Dec. 4, according to prosecutors.

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    A man “repeatedly abused” his girlfriend’s 3-year-old daughter, ending with a “violent assault” that caused her “rapid death,” California prosecutors say.

    Elvis Alberto Lopez, 27, was convicted of first-degree murder in Mila Solis’ 2023 death, the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office said in an Oct. 1 news release.

    In an Oct. 2 email to McClatchy News, George L. Steele, Lopez’s attorney, called the case “heartbreaking,” adding that he respected the jury’s service.

    “But the fact remains: there was no direct evidence that Mr. Lopez ever harmed Mila,” Steele wrote. “He called 911, followed instructions, and tried to save her life.”

    Lopez pleaded not guilty at his February 2023 arraignment, KSBY reported.

    “This was a horrific case involving the senseless death of a young child who deserved love and protection,” District Attorney John T. Savrnoch said in the release.

    The Santa Barbara Police Department got a 911 call just after 1:30 p.m. on Feb. 4, 2023, about a toddler who “had fallen out of bed injuring herself,” police said in a news release.

    The girl was taken to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead, police said.

    With help from the Santa Barbara County Coroner’s office, police said its detectives investigated the toddler’s death.

    Investigation into the “heinous crime” led detectives to identify Lopez as a suspect, police said, adding that he was arrested after a warrant was issued Feb. 11, 2023.

    Lopez is accused of “repeatedly” abusing the toddler in the months leading up to her death, prosecutors say.

    “On February 4, 2023, the abuse culminated in a violent assault that severed Mila’s spine and ruptured her aorta, causing her rapid death,” prosecutors said.

    After entering his not guilty plea, Lopez said the girl’s injuries were from a fall off the bed, KEYT reported.

    During trial, Dr. Manual Montez, a pathologist with the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Coroner’s Bureau, testified in court and likened the girl’s injuries to those resulting from a traumatic accident, Noozhawk reported.

    “I have seen these in car accidents,” Montez said, the outlet reported. “I have seen this in multi-story falls. I have seen this with weapons.”

    Montez went on to say the “injury to the spinal column was the result of a swift force to the back” and not from a fall off a bed, the outlet reported.

    In addition to murder, prosecutors said a jury also found Lopez guilty of assault on a child under 8 causing death and four counts of corporal injury to a child.

    “Mila was a beautiful, loving child, and while nothing can bring her back, this verdict ensures that the defendant is held accountable for his violent actions,” Chief Deputy District Attorney Jennifer Karapetian said in the release.

    In his statement, Steele said prosecutors’ theory was based “on assumptions, not proof.”

    “They do not know the mechanism of death,” Steele said. “We will be pursuing an appeal to ensure that the courts fully examine the problematic issues in this case. Justice requires certainty, and this case leaves too many unanswered questions.”

    Lopez is scheduled to appear in court for sentencing Dec. 4 and faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole, according to prosecutors.

    Daniella Segura

    McClatchy DC

    Daniella Segura is a national real-time reporter with McClatchy. Previously, she’s worked as a multimedia journalist for weekly and daily newspapers in the Los Angeles area. Her work has been recognized by the California News Publishers Association. She is also an alumnus of the University of Southern California and UC Berkeley.

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    Daniella Segura

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  • Man fatally abused his girlfriend’s 2-year-old, hid body in basement: cops

    Man fatally abused his girlfriend’s 2-year-old, hid body in basement: cops

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    A Pennsylvania man is facing charges for killing his girlfriend’s 2-year-old son, burning the toddler’s groin and beating the little boy before stuffing his body in a bag, according to local police and court documents.

    Trevaughn Lee Glenn Stribling-Jackson, 24, was arrested by officers with the Oil City Police Department (OCPD) on Wednesday and charged with one count each of criminal homicide, aggravated assault, concealment of the whereabouts of a child, and abuse of a corpse in the death of his girlfriend’s toddler, court documents show.

    The victim was identified as 2-year-old Keaton Morrison, according to local media reports.

    The little boy’s mother, 22-year-old Caleigh Gladfelter, has also been arrested and is charged with endangering the welfare of her son for not reporting prior alleged abuse by Stribling-Jackson, local station WTAE reports.

    A stock image of police vehicles with flashing lights. A Pennsylvania man, 24-year-old Trevaughn Lee Glenn Stribling-Jackson, is facing charges after fatally beating and burning his girlfriend’s 2-year-old son, according to local police.
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    Newsweek reached out via email on Saturday to the OCPD for comment and an update on the case. It was unclear at the time of publication whether Stribling-Jackson and Gladfelter had retained attorneys who could comment on their behalf.

    Morrison and Gladfelter lived with Stribling-Jackson and were house guests at a home in the 600 block of North Street in Oil City, according to the criminal complaint, which states that’s where the alleged abuse and slaying occurred.

    The mother told police that she last saw her son Monday afternoon when she left the toddler in Stribling-Jackson’s care when she went to work. When she returned home, Gladfelter told investigators that Morrison was missing and when she questioned Stribling-Jackson about the little boy’s whereabouts, he allegedly told her that the toddler was with his relatives in another city, WTAE reported. When Gladfelter found traces of blood, she became suspicious and contacted police on Wednesday, according to the station.

    Hours after the mother reported her young son missing, investigators found the toddler’s body in a canvas-like bag, hidden from view in the basement of the house.

    Police said it appeared that the toddler had suffered injuries to the head and face, as well as a suspected burn in the inner groin area. His official cause of death had not been determined at the time of publication.

    During questioning, Goldfelter allegedly admitted that Stribling-Jackson had abused her son on other occasions and that she had observed bruising on the 2-year-old’s ribcage, according to the criminal complaint.

    Stribling-Jackson told Goldfelter the injuries were from Morrison falling down the stairs, the court documents state.

    Both Goldfelter and Stribling-Jackson are being held at the Venango County jail.