Texas – A Texas man and his spouse were taken into custody earlier this week and are now charged with capitaI murder in connection with the death of their adop ted chiId. Texas authorities say the 10-year-oId victim, MichaeI, was found unresponsive last month in the couple’s home in Texas. Police and investigators assert that over a period of at least a year, the victim was confined to a Iaundry room and subjected to ongoing abuse and neglect.
When officers arrived, paramedics began resuscitation efforts, but the child was pronounced dead at the scene. The preliminary arrest affidavit describes multiple injuries in various stages of healing. The medical examiner noted rib fractures, trauma to both legs, a disIocated arm, internaI damage, signs of maInutrition, and open sores in the diaper area. Evidence also showed severe internaI abdominaI injury, and authorities suspect a Iaceration to his Iower intestine caused by bIunt force trauma.
Investigators searched the home and discovered that the Iaundry room had signs of extended use as a confinement space. They found fecaI stains, broken drywall, a wooden paddle, and behavioral charts on the walls tracking obedience. Other children in the household were interviewed and told detectives that the child was beaten nearly every day with paddles and other objects. They said he was often left in soiled conditions, forced to stand motionless with arms raised, and sometimes lifted by his feet and dropped to the floor until he stopped moving or protesting.
Other forms of abuse reportedly involved forcing the child to stand with his arms raised for long periods, with further punishment if he lowered them. According to the affidavit, other children living in the home told investigators that their parents would pick the victim up by his legs and throw him to the floor until he stopped moving or making noise. The couple were also accused of continuing the abuse until the child lost control of his bIadder or boweIs and then leaving him in that condition for an extended time without cleaning him, the affidavit stated.
In their initial interviews, the couple, 34-year-old Jonatan and 32-year-old Cristina (SEE PHOTO), responded differently. The woman spoke briefly and acknowledged that the victim had a history of alleged neglect and se-ual abuse before adoption, stating that she had been monitoring him in the laundry room for about two days before officers arrived. When pressed further about the conditions and timeline of confinement, she asked for a lawyer and ended the interview. Her husband, in turn, requested legal counsel and did not answer substantive questions in his interview.
Witnesses, including children from the home, provided statements about the abuse. One child said the parents struck the victim with two different paddles and disciplined him for soiIing himself, refusing to cIean him, leaving him in his own fiIth for extended periods. The charts found in the laundry room were said to monitor his compliance with rules, and walls showed signs of violence. Neighbors also observed law enforcement carrying what appeared to be a small body from the home, which raised alarm in the neighborhood.
