Father Accused of Ravenous 4-Yr-Previous Son to Demise: 'In a position to See His Bones'theinsiderinsight

A trial is underway in Texas for Brandon Lee Cervera, who’s accused of ravenous his younger son to dying in 2021

A Texas man is dealing with a jury trial to find out whether or not or not he’s chargeable for ravenous his 4-year-old son to dying in 2021.

Based on Texas Public Radio, KSAT, CBS Austin and KENS 5, prosecutors from the Bexar County District Lawyer's workplace allege that 31-year-old Brandon Lee Cervera and his then-wife Miranda Casarez starved Cervera's son Benjamin to dying on Aug. 17, 2021.

Cervera's trial started on Tuesday, Sept. 24, greater than three years after Benjamin died in a San Antonio hospital. The Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Workplace later dominated that Benjamin's reason behind dying was hunger, based on KSAT.

Based on a press release issued by the district lawyer's workplace in Might 2022, when Cervera was indicted, he faces a cost of harm to a toddler inflicting severe bodily harm.

On Wednesday, Sept. 25, jurors heard testimony from San Antonio Police officer Omar Perez, who was known as to Cervera's dwelling in 2021 for a welfare verify, per KSAT.

"[Benjamin] had seen accidents," Perez testified. "He had bruises on his eyes and torso and he was skinny … capable of see his bones."

Cervera disputed these claims, claiming that Benjamin had behavioral points that brought about him to injure himself which resulted in his bruising, KSAT reported.

Protection lawyer Jodi Soyars argued throughout her opening assertion that the boy was at all times small in stature, and likewise claimed that docs didn’t elevate considerations about his well being within the days main as much as his dying, per KSAT.

“This child was not starved or dehydrated, and it is going to be in scientific proof,” Soyars mentioned.

CBS Austin and KSAT reported that prosecutors confirmed the jurors photos of Benjamin's physique in the course of the medical expert's testimony, illustrating how underweight and malnourished the kid was. The medical expert additionally backed up Perez's claims about bruising on Benjamin's physique, testifying that she discovered bruises throughout his post-mortem.

“He died of hunger, his dying was dominated a murder,” Bexar County Chief Medical Examiner Kimberly Molina testified, per KSAT.

“He seemed to be underweight and small for his age,” she added, describing Benjamin's post-mortem findings.

Molina mentioned that Benjamin weighed 28 lbs. on the time of his dying, and pictures confirmed that his ribs had been seen by his chest, KSAT and CBS reported.

Moreover, pediatrician James Lukefahr, who handled Benjamin within the San Antonio hospital the place he was declared useless, testified that he was underweight for his age and mentioned that he agreed with the medical expert's ruling that Benjamin's reason behind dying was hunger, KSAT reported.

“For my part, there was substantial proof that Benji had been the sufferer of hunger main as much as his dying,” Lukefahr mentioned, per the outlet.

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In April 2023, Benjamin's stepmother Casarez was convicted of the identical cost of harm to a toddler inflicting severe bodily harm and was sentenced to 25 years in jail, Texas Public Radio, KENS 5 and CBS Austin reported. Throughout Casarez's trial, prosecutors confirmed the jury pictures taken of the household's fridge and Benjamin's bed room door — each of which had been locked with padlocks, the shops reported.

Additionally throughout Casarez's trial, Benjamin's older brother — recognized solely as "BC" in court docket paperwork — testified that their stepmother abused Benjamin and compelled him to eat scorching sauce and hand sanitizer, and likewise threw his physique within the air with out catching him, per Texas Public Radio.

Per KENS 5 and Texas Public Radio, movies had been seized from Casarez's cellphone in the course of the investigation that confirmed footage of Benjamin shaking and crying as he begged for bread.

Cervera faces a most sentence of 99 years in jail and a $10,000 high quality if convicted, per the district lawyer's workplace.

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