You’d think since they hated Evan so much they would have gladly give him to his dad.

James Dunley was born on January 17th, 2015 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He was a caring and sweet little boy. He loved Toy Story and the movie Cars. He also loved playing outside, driving his ride- on toys, and getting dirty like so many other little boys do. His mother, Christa Cruz, was only 17 years old and in foster care when she gave birth to James, who was her second son.

 There’s not a whole lot of information out there on James’ biological father, so we don’t really know a whole lot about him. James lived with his mother, Christa Cruz. Christa was selfish, had mental health issues, and was a serial dater, jumping from one relationship to the next with no regards for her son’s feelings or safety.

 Now, Christa had lost custody of her firstborn son in 2014 when his paternal side filed a civil action suit alleging that she was an unfit parent. And boy, were they right. Now, Christa was just like her own mother. Christa’s mother’s parental rights had actually been terminated in 2009. This is after child services had received 22 allegations of abuse and neglect.

 So they were failing this girl all the time, too. They finally stepped in. But that’s a lot. 22 before she was finally taken away for good. Yet somehow after James was born, him and Christa were allowed to go live with Christa’s biological mother, the same one that she had been taken away from only six years prior.

 Now, child services received three reports of abuse or neglect of James before he was even 7 months old. At only three years old, James would often wander outside on his own in the middle of the night outside of the apartment that the family lived in. He was also once found cowering under the dark stairs at the family’s apartment complex holding on to his two teddy bears.

 In June of 2019, when he was four years old, there was another allegation of abuse received by Child Protective Services. Christa’s living boyfriend at the time was physically abusing James and Christa as well. James told the social worker that the boyfriend had been hitting him with various different objects. He also said that he would often shower with this man, this man that he was not related to. That’s not normal.

 When James was later asked if this boyfriend of Christ’s ever touched him, he would say yes. James was placed with his maternal aunt until Soon later, a safety plan was made and James was returned to his mother. According to the safety plan, James was to go to counseling and Christa was referred to housing assistance and given bus passes to help her. No counseling though, her mind.

Great. The kids. Then again on September 18th of 2019, child protective services received a report with allegations of neglect of James. They said that his mother was leaving him unattended. The police had actually been called when someone saw James running around outside the apartment at night.

 Christ’s excuse was that friends had been babysitting him, but then they left without telling her. I don’t think that was the reason why. At this time, Christa also told the social worker that she had been evicted from her apartment and needed to get out within the next two days, but she said that she was going to be possibly moving in with her friends.

 Pamela Esparza, her boyfriend Zariq Marquez, and their two children. She had known them since they were kids. The couple lived at the Cinnamon Tree Apartments in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The case worker asked Christa what the address of the apartment was so that they could do home visits, and she never received a reply back from Christa.

 The case worker then attempted to contact her four more times within the next two weeks. The case was just eventually closed as unsubstantiated. While Christa and James were living with her friends, since the couple had children of their own, they would often babysit James as well. But then, only weeks after moving in on October 18th, 2019, Christa took James to the Duke City Urgent Care because his arm was hurting.

 It turned out James had a dislocated shoulder at the time. Child services as well as the Albuquerque police were called after a doctor had discovered that James had bruised genitalia as well. When a more thorough exam was done of James, it was also discovered that he had even more bruising along with a black eye, a cut to his face, a swollen hand, an arm injury, and he was still in a diaper.

Meanwhile, James’ mother, Christa, had excuse after excuse. She said that she did not know about any of the abuse that was going on and blamed the bruises on him falling down at the playground. You >> going to shut the door? >> Yeah, let’s shut the door. >> All right, we’re going to take some photos. Okay, >> we open the door cuz it’s hot.

>> Oh, it’s hot. >> Are you hot? >> Oh gosh. Okay. >> Okay. All righty. What happened to your arm? >> It probably caught me and then I got >> Oh boy. Okay. All right. So, I just need you to look right in the camera. Okay. >> I have a little ruler here. It’s plastic. >> So, I’m going to put this next to your nose where your alley is. Okay.

>> Okay. >> Good job. >> On this side. >> Is that on that side? Okay. Can you close your eye for me? Keep your eye closed. Good job. >> There we go. That’s okay. That’ll work. Okay. >> You want to see what [laughter] >> That’s okay. >> Can I see your back? >> Can you turn around for me? >> Can we take your little uh sling off for now? >> Yeah.

>> We’ll put it right back on. We’re going to reook at all your owies you showed me earlier. >> Yeah. >> We’ll put it right back on. We’re going to relook at all your owies you showed me earlier. Okay. >> Okay. >> And lift your arm up a little bit. There we go. I don’t want to hurt it. >> Let me get a picture of your arm.

>> Okay. All right. >> His hand is a little swollen. I think it’s from the injury. >> Open your hand. Can you open your hand up a little bit? You don’t have to move it. That’s fine. Okay. All right. Before we do your shirt, I’m going to have you turn your head sideways there just a little bit. Okay.

 Cuz you got some eyes here on your ear, too. >> That might just come. >> Okay. Can you do me a favor with this hand? You have some. Can you lift look up for me? >> Got a little bit on your neck there. Huh? I thought that was going to come the way. >> No. >> All right. So, we turn your head to the side this way a little bit. >> Do me a favor with this hand.

 Can you hold your ear forward for me? >> Yeah. Just pull it forward just a little bit. >> Oh, not that part. >> That part. Pull it. >> There you go. >> Pull it forward. There you go. Good job. Okay, try it again. >> Oh, okay. >> Okay. All right. Can I sit behind your other ear? >> Good job. Thank you. >> Oh, thank you. >> Radio always does that.

>> Yeah. See, good job. Okay, let’s see your back. Can I see your back real quick? I just got to get up. >> You got to get up. Can you Do you Are you okay getting up? >> I can’t get up. >> Okay. >> James, at this point, had suffered injuries from three different men, including Christa’s new roommate, Zerich.

 The other roommate, Pamela, soon showed up at the urgent care as well, and she blamed James’ bruises on her 2-year-old daughter. James was taken into emergency temporary care. It was suspected that Zerich had caused many of the little boy’s injuries. 3 days later on October 21st, a home visit was conducted. Now, I don’t know what was seen or what was said.

 It must have been some kind of magic because James was released back into his mother’s care. They deemed his case safe with a plan. So, in other words, Christa had a written agreement that she had signed with child services saying that she would take the proper steps in order to ensure James’ safety. October 21st. Written and signed. Okay.

 So, even though there was now on top of neglect, physical andual abuse going on, he was still allowed to stay with his mother. The neglect of James by his mother was marked as substantiated, while the physical and sexual abuse was marked as unsubstantiated against the unknown perpetrator. The child services investigator did tell Christa that she was no longer allowed to reside at the apartment with Zerich and Pamela.

 The case worker instead set it up so that the two could stay at the Joy Junction shelter. Two days later, it was confirmed that they were actually living at the shelter. However, the day after that, Christa called and told the social worker that she was no longer going to be living at the shelter and that James was actually staying with her sister in Arizona, but she refused to give any contact information or location information.

 Case workers called the police to do a welfare check. Since the only address they had was Pamela and Zerk’s address, police showed up there. However, nobody was home. So, they obtained Christa’s sister’s information and tried to contact her. They couldn’t get through to her, but they texted Christa as well, looking for the information as to where James was.

 Days later, Christa finally texted back saying that she and James were actually in Arizona. After further questioning though, she admitted that she was in New Mexico and James was still in Arizona. The case worker tried to reach out to the family member he was supposed to be with and received no response.

 And from there it seemed to just kind of get dropped. Must have just been oh well. So at this point, child services knew about all the allegations. They knew that James slept in a closet at his home and that he called his mother Miss Christa. Christa’s former legal guardians was child protective services.

 She was in the system for years. Given that child protective services knew her mental health history, knew her history of trauma, her involvement in domestic violent relationships, her inability to regulate her emotions, and her inability to parent a young child. They knew James was in danger, beginning just days after he was born, but they never sought to legally remove him from his mother’s care.

 On the evening of December 10th, 2019, Zerk was watching James because apparently him and his mother had moved back in, even though they weren’t supposed to. The other two children were there at the time as well. Around 1000 p.m., a 911 call was placed from the apartment, and the Albuquerque police were dispatched to the home. The caller said that James was unresponsive.

 When the EMTs arrived, they said that James appeared unconscious and not breathing. EMTs asked how long that James had been unconscious and not breathing, and Zerk said 20 minutes. He was gone. Zerich also told them at this time to ignore the burn on the little boy’s ear because it was just a little electrical burn from another incident.

Not the time, dude. James was transported to the University of New Mexico Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 10:44 p.m. According to Zerk, he had been babysitting James and his two children while Pamela had brought Christa to work. He said that James was laying on the floor while he was looking for underwear in his dresser.

 Zerich says that he tripped on something and then fell on James knee first. I don’t know how you would even fall knee first. Is that is that even possible? Anyways, didn’t happen. He said that James started panting, took a couple of steps, collapsed, and then hit his head. At this point, he says he contacted Pamela and told her that her and Christa needed to come home because James was acting weird.

 When Pamela and Christa arrived back home, that’s when 911 was called. He didn’t call before that. He could have probably saved James had he called before the entire time it took the two of them to get back home. James had numerous observable injuries. And this is not even all of them. He had bruising all over his entire body, including places you wouldn’t even expect to see bruises, like the top of his foot and the back of his knee.

 He also had a bloody upper ear, an abrasion to his chin, abrasions to his right knee, a bump to his head, the inside of his bottom lip was cut, and he had a large scratch on his neck. The doctor found that many of these injuries were not consistent with Zerich’s story. The autopsy then confirmed that the boy also had massive internal injuries.

 On top of all that, James’ cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head and torso trauma. He also had a healing jaw fracture and a healing subdural hemorrhage. Officers noticed that Zerich had a bruised and swollen hand. When they asked him about it, he said that he was in a fight at work weeks ago, but then changed his story to say that he punched a car after hearing about James being dead.

 Security footage shows him punching nothing. Nothing. Zerk’s 2-year-old daughter also told investigators that her father jumps on James too hard when he’s angry. The girl said that James was hurt and would say, “Ow, ow, ow.” And she was worried about him. She’s two. Detectives also found text messages between Zerk and Pamela. And it went back months talking about beating the children, lying about a bruise on James leg, and talking about hating James and Christa.

 In one text, Pamela said that she told a crying James to shut up and nobody cares. This was in regards to a leg injury that the poor little boy had. The text also asks Zerich to lie to her mother about how the little boy received the injury, saying maybe they should blame the other child instead. Pamela told the police that when the couple had brought James over for Thanksgiving, the poor little boy could barely even walk and she said he was really in pain.

 But Pamela said that he just had a weak leg. The only child services case worker that had ever investigated the home while James was living with Zerk and Pamela had been begging her bosses to do the right thing and to take him into custody. They said no and told her to calm down. After the little boy’s death, Christa tried to say that she did everything to save him.

 She said that James always came before herself. She said that when she lived in Rio Rancho, she would walk back and forth to work just so that she could support him. Yeah, that’s your job as a mother. You’re not doing anything special or out of the ordinary. At a vigil that was held for James days after his death, Christa got up and spoke and she said she believes that the man hurt James, but she doesn’t know how.

 And she said, “I trusted this person with my life.” And like any mom, you think you’ve known this person for so long, they’re not going to hurt your child or do anything like this. Christa also claimed that she was working with child services to get child care at the time. [ __ ] However, James’ grandfather said that when he had taken the little boy last spring when Christa was homeless, James was always hungry and he could tell that he was not well taken care of.

 He had begged child services to not give him back to his mother. Search warrants were issued for the apartment as well as the three adults phones. All evidence pointed to Zerich. Not that the women were necessarily innocent. They just didn’t actually cause his death directly. On February 18th of 2020, Zerk Marquez was arrested and charged with intentional abuse of a child resulting in death.

 Over a year later, on December 13th, 2021, finally, Christa Cruz and Pamela Esparez were charged with reckless abuse of a child resulting in death. Zerich is also trying to withdraw the plea that he made in March of 2020. He had pleaded guilty to intentional child abuse resulting in death, but he was asking to back out of the plea, saying that he didn’t understand that he was going to be spending life in prison.

He thought that he was going to be getting out after 30 years. What the sentence actually outlined in the plea deal was that he would be serving life and would be eligible eligible for parole after 30 years. He read this and signed it. It was in exchange for avoiding other charges. He thought that he was just going to be automatically released after 30 years.

 He says he misunderstood it. The judge quickly denied the motion, even reminding him that back in March, he asked Zerich if he had any questions about the plea deal, and Zerich remained silent. James’ grandfather has filed a wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of the family. They say that James’ child services case worker fought to get him out of his mother’s custody.

 However, her supervisors were the ones that told her no and to calm down. It alleges that child services had an obligation under law and the US Constitution to remove James from the unsafe home and to place him into a safe environment. The lawsuit also includes allegations that child services tried to cover up how they handled the case.

 The child services manager had instructed the caseworker to delete her notes from her phone before they even got entered into the system. They believed that all picture evidence was destroyed. The case worker also turned in the phone where it was reset to factory settings. This lawsuit that’s filed on behalf of James estate seeks unspecified damages, but also wants to see change in the policies and procedures at child services that are intended to prevent the failures that happened in James’ case.

 A federal lawsuit was also filed with many of the same allegations as the lawsuit that James’ estate had filed, stating that Child Protective Services had failed in protecting James, as well as covered up important information. Well, thank you for listening to all of James’ story today.

 It’s unbelievable that with all the allegations and reports of abuse and neglect and the proof that was behind it that James was never removed from his mother’s custody. Not only did she hurt that little boy and treat him like he didn’t matter, she let numerous other people hurt him as well. Even though he kept a smile on his face, that little boy lived a terrible life.

 She’s a terrible human being and I don’t know how anybody could let a child stay with a monster like that. Marcus Fisel was born on June 24th, 2003 and spent the first three years of his life in Middletown, Ohio with his mother, Donna Trevino, and his two siblings, Michael and Peaches. Marcus was described as an awesome little guy who loved flowers, Bob the Builder, and blowing bubbles.

 Some places report that Marcus was just delayed, where others report that he had a diagnosis of autism. Either way, he attended a school for children with special needs. Being a toddler, Marcus was very active, and his mother, Donna Trevino, had a tough time keeping up with him. A neighbor would say that oftentimes she would see Donna outside or in the hallway weeping from exhaustion and frustration.

 Police were familiar with this home as there were frequent calls to them. Donna was a victim of DV at the hands of her boyfriend. During these visits, police officers noticed that the place was infested with fleas and rire of feces. Now, shortly after Marcus’ first birthday on August 9th, 2004 is when the Butler County Children’s Services first became involved with the family.

 And in January of 2006, Marcus had crawled out his second story bedroom window and fallen. Luckily, Marcus didn’t have any major injuries because it could have been a lot worse. He just needed stitches on his chin. Then on April 22nd, 2006, Marcus was found wandering the streets after he had almost gotten hit by a car.

 When police went to speak with Donna, she said that it was becoming too much to care for her children. She was too overwhelmed and she didn’t know what to do. She said she did not think she could care for them any longer. So, Child Protective Service case workers removed the children from the home. This was the third time that Donna’s children had been taken away from her.

 So Butler County Job and Family Services were granted temporary custody of Marcus and his siblings. The private agency Lifeway for Youth was contracted by the state foster care system, and they were the ones who placed Marcus in the care of his new foster parents, Liz and David Carroll. They were a couple from Union Township, which was in nearby Claremont County.

 At the time, Lifeway for Youth was not aware that Marcus’ new foster father, David, had a mental health issue. Had they known, this would have immediately disqualified him from being a foster parent. They also did not know that there was a third adult living in the house, David’s girlfriend. Yes, he had a wife, Liz, and then he had a girlfriend that was living with him as well, Amy Baker.

As I said, David had been diagnosed with a mental disorder. He was bipolar. Now, he did currently take medications for it. However, he had a difficult time holding down a job. Instead, he would help out Liz, who ran a daycare out of the couple’s home. Sometimes, David would find it difficult to deal with the daycare children and the foster children in his home.

 It had taken a lot of Liz’s attention away from the marriage. So, at one point, David ended up moving out. Well, Liz begged him to come back and he did. But with him, he brought his new girlfriend, Amy Baker. Liz would say that she was fine with Amy living there because she was having a hard time raising all the kids on her own. Anyways, only two months after Marcus was placed in the care of the Carols in June of 2006, David Carol was arrested on a DV charge.

 It was later dismissed, but it was not reported to Lifeway for Youth as they required. On August 15th, 2006, Liz Carol, Marcus’ foster mom, reported him as missing. Liz said her and Marcus had been playing on the swings and slides at Juliff’s Park when suddenly she had blacked out due to low blood pressure from an apparent heart condition that she had.

 She said she had been there with four children, a child she had with David Carol, another foster child, a toddler she was babysitting, and Marcus. Liz said when she regained consciousness, Marcus was gone, and she believed that he ran off. This sparked a massive three-day search by hundreds of volunteers, law enforcement, and search teams.

 By the third day, they stopped searching because they had found no evidence. And after speaking with a few people that were in the park that day, none of them said that they had seen Marcus there with Liz that afternoon. Liz’s story didn’t necessarily make sense either. If she had collapsed and she had Marcus there along with three other children, why would he have just ran off? He was too little to know to go for help.

 the other children were there, so he most likely would have stayed with them and Liz because that was what was familiar. He would have had no reason to just run off and hide because Liz collapsed. It’s not like somebody was coming after him. So, that doesn’t really make that much sense to me personally. Liz had tearfully begged the public to help her find Marcus.

 And on August 22nd, 2006, she even held a news conference in the same clothing that she wore the day that Marcus had gone missing. She claimed she wore the clothes in hopes of triggering the memory of someone who had seen him that day. Liz said in her statement, >> “I’m asking that anybody that saw me with my kids or saw me or saw Marcus to please contact the authorities.

” She then went on, “Marcus is my son. I know people think foster care is temporary, but please return him to a hospital. Waking up every morning and not having him run to me is very difficult. I am closer than his birth mother to him. But since they had still found no evidence and there were no witnesses to Marcus even being there, police were starting to grow suspicious of Liz and David Carol.

 The police had interviewed Marcus’ caseworker and she told them that she had not seen Marcus since August 3rd. Though technically she hadn’t even seen him then either because she had been told by Liz and David that he was sleeping because he was sick. After David, Liz, and Amy all failed polygraphs, police decided they needed to make a deal with one of them in order to figure out where Marcus was.

 So on August 28th, 6. Amy and Liz were told to report to court to testify in front of a grand jury. They decided they were going to make their deal with Amy as long as she didn’t have anything to do with Marcus’ death. Amy, of course, took this deal and immediately started throwing Liz and David under the bus.

 Amy testified that David and Liz didn’t want to take Marcus to the family reunion they were attending the weekend of August 4th through 6th and instead they decided to tape him up and leave him in the closet while they were gone. But after heading to Williamstown where the reunion was being held, David decided that maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to leave him there and they turned around and headed home only to find Marcus dead already.

 Amy admitted that she then went with David to a remote area in Brown County to burn his body and then dump whatever remains there were in the Ohio River. Following this interrogation, Amy led investigators to an old stone chimney on an 88 acre property in Brown County where she said David Carroll had burned Marcus’ body.

 The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office investigators collected material from the chimney and once the DNA testing was completed, it was determined that they were indeed Marcus’ remains. Authorities then searched the river as well near Aberdine, where Amy had said they had dumped the rest of the remains.

 Unfortunately, only a few small bones were ever found of Marcus Feel. On August 28th and 29th, both Liz and David were indicted on charges in Claremont County as well as Hamilton County. These were in relation to Marcus’ murder, as well as hindering the police investigation into his disappearance. So, Liz’s public distress and pleas to return Marcus was all just an elaborate act.

 In fact, Marcus’ disappearance at Jul Park had been one of two plans that the trio had hatched. They had also considered going to King’s Island and telling authorities that he had wandered off while there. Liz claimed that they were quote trying to figure out how we were going to come up with a story about how he was missing and who was going to be the one.

 She said she was eventually picked as the one who was supposed to have lost the boy at Julip’s Park. And on the day that Liz had supposedly fainted, Marcus actually had a visit with a social worker less than an hour later. And since they had already turned away a case worker a few days prior who was wanting to check up on Marcus, the Carols knew that they had to act before another one came around to look for Marcus again.

 It was planned the entire time and both foster parents were charged. Now, even though Amy Baker had been granted immunity in Ohio for her testimony, she still faced extradition from Ohio to Kentucky for tampering with evidence brought against her in Mason County. This charge related to Amy confessing to helping dump Marcus’ remains in the Ohio River, but these charges against her were later dropped.

So, she served no time for this. Marcus’ arms were pinned behind his back. He was then covered with a blanket. They then took duct tape and wrapped it around the blanket. Only his head was exposed. And when Marcus started to cry because he was scared, the carols simply put him in a closet in a play pen and turned on a fan, closed the door, and left. Nice.

They then left the house to attend the day and a half family reunion in Williamstown, Kentucky, only to come home to find on August 6th that Marcus had died. Marcus had also been left without food or water in the closet that reached 105 to 110° F, which is 41 to 43° C. Authorities believed that he had died from the heat rather than from dehydration or starvation.

 Liz had told the grand jury that it was Amy’s idea to put Marcus in the closet like this. She then testified in front of the grand jury that Amy and her husband had told her that Marcus was dead and the two of them took the body from the house. Amy later told Liz that they had burned Marcus’s body.

 Liz also said that David had wondered on the way to the reunion if Marcus would be okay, but Amy said that he would be fine and not to worry about it. She also said it was Amy’s idea to leave him in the play pen. It was Amy’s idea to wrap him in the blanket with tape and it was Amy’s idea to have him get lost at the playground. She put it all on Amy.

 Liz was arrested immediately after testifying to the grand jury. She was charged with murder, involuntary manslaughter, kidnapping, felonious assault, endangering children, and perjury. Her perjury charges stemmed from lying to the grand jury. When they had asked Liz if Marcus was dead or alive, she told them, “I don’t know.

” Which very clearly she did know. Several days later, on September 6th, 2006, a grand jury indicted David Carroll on a number of charges. They were murder, involuntary manslaughter, kidnapping, felonious assault, endangering children, as well as gross abuse of a corpse. So on February 2nd, 2007, the case against Liz Carol went to court.

 The courtroom was packed with reporters, photographers, lawyers, and even other judges, many of whom sat in the jury box or lined up in the standing room against the walls. Television stations even broadcast the arraignment. In Marcus’ birthother, Donna Trevino, even sat in the back of the courtroom being consoled by other family members.

 Prior to her sentencing, Liz apologized for the lies that had prompted thousands of people to search for Marcus. She also insisted that she did not kill Marcus. She said I didn’t and I wouldn’t hurt a child. I did lie after to try to protect my family and I’m sorry. I want to apologize to my community and my family. Liz was found guilty on all charges on February 21st, 2007.

 And she was sentenced to serve separately a 10-year sentence for kidnapping, another eight years for felonious assault and 21 years on three child endangerment charges. Liz will be 84 years old before she’s eligible for parole. So, David Carol accepted a plea deal and pleaded guilty to murder and gross abuse of a corpse.

The other charges were dropped as part of the plea. The judge accepted this plea and sentenced David Carol to 15 years to life in jail. David also said that Amy was the one who had bound Marcus. Similar bindings had happened in the past due to his unruly behavior as they saw it. He had just never been left alone in a closet, especially for such a long period of time.

 David also said that Amy was the one who had bound David in the blanket and tape even though he was present at the time. Both David and Liz are being held at the Hamilton County Justice Center. Liz still denies her involvement and blames Amy. I’m not sure. It seems like maybe Liz and David are working together to try to blame Amy for all of it.

 Or maybe Amy is more involved than we know. An Ohio Department of Job and Family Services investigation pointed blame at Lifeway for Youth, the New Carile, Ohio-based foster care provider that placed Marcus with the Carols. For reasons that include and extend beyond Marcus’ case, Lifeway’s operational certificate was later pulled.

 It was said that the Carols had been maximizing the amount of daycare kids as well as foster kids that they could have so that they could maximize the amount of money they were getting in. The couple was paid $2,500 a month for daycare and $1,000 a month for Marcus as well as additional help for food.

 So, David Carroll was up for parole in 2022. However, it was denied and his case has been continued until 2032 when he’ll be eligible for parole again. On Saturday, April 21st, 2007, the chimney that had been used to burn Marcus Fil’s remains was demolished and turned into a memorial for him. Also in Hanland Park in Georgetown, Ohio, a bench was dedicated to his memory on what would have been his fourth birthday, June 24th, 2007.

Marcus’ celebration of life was held on May 4th, 2007 at the Baker Stevens funeral home in Middleton. His remains were then buried at the Woodside Cemetery, also in Middleton, Ohio. Well, thank you for listening to all of Marcus’ story today. What do you think? Do you think that Liz is responsible in David’s death or just the cover up afterwards? Was it just David and Amy that did this to him? It’s really tough to tell.

 There doesn’t seem to be enough evidence one way or the other. But either way, she helped cover this up and she lied saying that Marcus had gone missing, which is almost just as despicable. Marcus had developmental delays that needed extra attention. And clearly, these people were incapable of caring for him in the way that he needed.

 This poor little boy should have been put into a home where he was understood, loved, and had somebody who was willing to work with his disabilities instead of just being treated like a nuisance like he had been at the Carol’s house. >> [music] >> Evan Brewer was born on March 6th, 2014 to his parents, Miranda Miller and Carlo Brewer.

 He was a very happy and silly little boy who loved to make people laugh. He also loved the Ninja Turtles and Batman. Evan loved to play with his stepbros. At the time of his birth, Evan’s mother and father were no longer in a relationship. And during his first few years of life, Evan’s dad had little contact with him, but then he started spending more time with the boy in late 2016, early 2017.

 Now, Miranda was a caring and attentive mother at first, and then she started heavily using methamphetamine. She also around the same time met a man, a man by the name of Steven Bodin. Steven also used meth and fetamine and he had a very violent temper, especially when he was using, which was pretty much all the time.

 He was also a guy who had a history of being abusive towards women. So, Miranda and Steven had gotten together in October of 2016. And incredibly soon after they started dating, Steven moved in with Miranda and Evan in their Witchah home. Within weeks of him moving in, Steven started beating Miranda regularly. So, little Evan was a well- behaved boy, but Steven did not think so.

 He felt that Evan whed too much and that Miranda allowed him to do whatever he wanted. Steven started acting as if Evan could do nothing right. and he told Miranda that the only way his behavior was going to change is if he had a male figure that was in complete control of him. Miranda agreed and told Steven that he could set the rules of the house.

In February of 2017, Evan’s father, Carlo, started noticing that his son’s speech as well as his potty training started to regress. He was noticing that this would happen when the little boy came back from his mother’s house. Soon, he also started to notice bruises on Evan’s body.

 Around the same time, Evan had tried to choke one of his siblings that lived at his father’s house with a pink dog leash. It was at that point that Carlo knew something was going on when he was at his mom’s because this was not the normal way a child should be acting. Carlo decided to first address his concerns with Miranda. She had always been a good mother in the past and he wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt.

 But also being a good father, he wanted to make sure that his son was protected. So he asked Miranda if maybe Steven had anything to do with the bruises that Evan had been coming home with. Her response was that Carlo could no longer see Evan until her and Steven decided that he could. She also told him to stop contacting her and she would be changing Evan’s last name soon.

 So since Miranda had told him not to contact her, Evan’s father, Carlo, decided that he was going to text message Steven in an attempt to see his son. But unfortunately, this failed. So Steven’s discipline had started at Miranda’s house, and he thought it was appropriate to have a three-year-old earn everything in his life, including clothing, food, and toys.

 Evan had to earn these things now. They weren’t just something that a parent’s supposed to provide because they brought the child into the world. Steven’s discipline also involved sending Evan to his room and having him stand with his arms behind his back for hours at a time. And if the little boy moved, he would get smacked.

 And then if he didn’t apologize for moving, he would get punched, kicked, or thrown across the room. Now, Steven wouldn’t let Evan go anywhere. probably because he didn’t want people to notice the abuse that was being inflicted upon him. Miranda said that she had also stopped speaking to any family and friends because she was afraid that Steven would get angry.

 He was extremely possessive and controlling over her and wanted to be the only person in her life. And that’s very evident later on, the only person. Steven had also installed surveillance cameras in the family’s home because he wanted to make sure that when Evan was being disciplined, he didn’t move. And then Steven didn’t have to be there wasting his own precious time doing it in person, making sure with his own eyes. So he installed cameras.

 He also installed outdoor cameras to make sure that nobody was coming and going from the house when he was not home [snorts] for Miranda. He thought she was cheating. Apparently, Carlo was still trying to get a hold of Miranda and Steven. He desperately wanted to see his son, but he was getting nowhere. So, at this point, he decided he needed to involve a higher authority.

 He contacted social services as well as law enforcement. And when either one of them tried to go out to the house to do a welfare check, they were unable to get a hold of anybody that lived there. Multiple times they said they went and checked and they were not able to get anyone to answer the door. Miranda and Steven had also stopped attending court hearings altogether.

 On March 14th, 2017, Carlo attended a child support hearing. He had previously been ordered to pay $170 a month for his son. Carlo’s attorney, Shayla Johnston, argued that her client should not pay the child support, saying Steven Bodin was keeping control of the comingings and goings of Miranda and the child.

 Now, Carlo had no problem paying child support if he knew it was going towards Evans needs, but he also suspected that it was going directly towards Miranda and Steven’s habit instead. But the court said it was a matter of child support, not an issue of custody. So, the judge said he could not rule on anything other than what was before him, which was a simple child support motion.

 He did encourage Carlo to contact the Witchah Police as well as the Kansas Department for Children and Families. And of course, this is something that Carlo had already done. But after numerous attempts, no one was able to reach Miranda still. Now, Carlo wasn’t going to give up that easily. He wanted to make sure that his son was safe, and he wanted him to be with him.

So Carlo along with other relatives sat outside Miranda’s house occasionally in lawn chairs holding up posters saying give us Evan. Give us Evan and chanting this over and over. >> The request is clear. >> Give us Evan. >> The desperation is great. >> Give us Evan. >> He was hoping that this would make Miranda come out of the house and let him see his son, but it still didn’t work.

 He even reached out to some of Miranda’s neighbors and friends, but everyone said they had not seen or heard from her. Meanwhile, Steven’s violence was only getting worse in Miranda’s home. Evan was so scared of Steven that he would not go to the bathroom. He just soiled himself and sat in it instead of having to walk past Steven in the hallway.

 Miranda also said that Steven would sometimes make her beat her son. She admitted to doing it on a few occasions, claiming that she inflicted less harm than Steven did. One time, Evan refused to apologize to Steven. So, Steven said that he needed to be treated like a dog in order to learn his lesson. So, he made Evan stand downstairs in the basement naked for 6 hours.

 And Steven had told Miranda to put a belt around Evan’s neck that had a chain attached to it. At the other end of the chain was a heavy weight. Steven watched the camera in the basement the whole night to make sure that Evan did not move. That’s until he fell asleep. And the next morning, Steven awoke to discover that Evan was upstairs, eating breakfast, fully clothed, and in front of the television.

 This made Steven so enraged that he quote beat the crap out of him at that time. Evan’s father was finally able to see him on two very brief occasions. The first was in March of 2017. Him and a coworker just decided to stop by Miranda’s house to see if maybe she would answer the door and she just happened to.

 Evan was also there and he noticed at that time that there was a gash on his forehead that ran all the way down to the tip of his nose. Evan told Carlo that daddy did it which meant Steven. When Miranda said, “What did you say to Evan?” he quickly changed his story and said that he had just fallen. Miranda made Evan go stand in front of the wall with his nose touching it and his hands behind his back as punishment for lying to Carlo.

 Evan did as he was told, but Carlo said he gave him a glance that looked like, “Please take me with you.” Miranda was also claiming that his injury was from a fall. But luckily, Carlo knew better and he reported it to law enforcement. Unluckily, law enforcement once again could not get a hold of anyone at the residence, so nothing happened from it.

The second time was in April of 2017. Carlo decided to take a drive by Miranda’s house, and he just happened to see that Miranda and Evan were outside, so he pulled into the driveway. When he saw his son, he noticed that he was dirty and he smelled terrible. Evan had jumped into his dad’s car and asked if he could go home with him.

 Miranda, of course, said no. But surprisingly, she said that he could go see his father the next day. But when Carlo tried to get a hold of Miranda the very next day to see his son, she would not answer any of his messages. On May 4th, Carlo obtained the first of a few protection orders. This protection order was supposed to keep Steven away from Evan.

 In obtaining this protection order, Carlo had written on the application that a witness had told him Steven had beat the crap out of his son so bad that he put him to the brink of death. He also noted on the application that DCF had been notified a number of times beginning in 2016 about the abuse that Evan was enduring.

 But until the protection order was served, police could not take the lead on the investigation. Now, DCF is normally the one that handles this type of case until a protection order is served. So now that Carlo had filed this protective order, police were making attempts to remove Evan from his mother’s custody.

But again, every time they went to the residence, nobody would answer. They couldn’t get a hold of anyone. You would think at this point maybe they could do a little bit something more like, “Okay, we’re going to break down your door if you don’t answer because we know you’re here. Give us the kid.” I wish.

On July 6th, 2017, Carlo obtained a district court order that granted him sole legal custody of Evan. But still, even through numerous attempts to physically obtain the little boy, he could not. Neighbors reported that they had not seen Miranda or Evan in over a month. And after learning that Miranda and Evan might actually be in Oklahoma or Texas, law enforcement initiated a missing child investigation again.

 On August 11th, 2017, Carlo and his wife drove by Miranda’s house in an attempt to see his son, but this time, Steven came out of the house with a hatchet raised over his head, screaming at Carlo. He then took the hatchet and deflated one of Carlo’s tires. I don’t care. Where the [ __ ] is my son? >> Thank you, [ __ ] >> Thank you for coming.

>> I can’t. >> Where’s my son? Where is my son? >> Get the [ __ ] off my >> Where’s my son? I can’t go. The police will come. Look. Good. Not your property. You’ll be right here. This is your property. This isn’t your property. I’m just talking to Call 911. >> Carlo reported this incident to the police and a warrant was issued for Steven’s arrest.

 It was also determined that Miranda had not relocated to another state and she was actively avoiding law enforcement’s attempts to get a hold of her. Authorities charged her with the interference of parental custody and a warrant was put out for her arrest. Then on August 30th, both Miranda and Steven were arrested in Witchah. Evan was not with them.

 Police conducted multiple searches over the next 2 days of Miranda’s place looking for Evan, but they were unable to find him. 3 days after their arrests on September 2nd, Miranda’s landlord made a call to law enforcement. While he was working in the utility room at the back of the residence, he had attempted to move carpet from a covered platform that had toolboxes stacked on top of it.

 The platform was actually a large block of concrete with a wooden lower frame and caster wheels. The landlord then went out and bought a sledgehammer and returned to the property. He was afraid that Evan might be in there. He started to chip away at the block and noticed a terrible smell emanating from it.

 It was at this point he realized it was most likely Evan and he contacted police. Steven initially told investigators that he wasn’t sure where Miranda was keeping Evan, but he was sure that he was in safe hands. When police had also asked him if Evan happened to be in the concrete block, his response twice to investigators was, “You wouldn’t think so.

” But it was discovered that Evan’s body was in fact inside the concrete structure. He was wrapped in several layers of Ninja Turtle bedding, towels, clothing, and duct tape. When Evan’s autopsy was done, the medical examiner observed possible signs of blunt force injury to Evan’s head, eye, and ear. But due to the decomposition of his body, the medical examiner was unable to determine a cause, manner, or time of death.

 Steven had already been charged with aggravated assault and criminal damage to property for threatening Carlo with the hatchet as well as slashing his tire with it. At this time, he was also charged with two counts of felony murder, two counts of aggravated kidnapping, one count of abuse of a child, and one count of aggravated child endangerment.

 Steven’s two criminal cases were to be tried together. Now, it was generally viewed that Miranda and Steven had equal responsibility in Evan’s death. She was also to have her trial combined with Stevens as the prosecution would be going with an aiding and embedding theory. But in order to get her charges of seconddegree murder, aggravated kidnapping, child abuse, and aggravated endangerment of a child reduced, Miranda agreed to testify as a witness for the prosecution in their case against Steven. Their trial was held in December

of 2018. It was then that Miranda told the court what had happened to Evan in his final days. She says she believes he died sometime between May 18th and May 22nd, 2017, but she doesn’t remember the exact date because she was in a drug induced haze for most of it. Of course, Miranda said that 2 to three days before his death, Evan kept vomiting and couldn’t keep anything down.

 She said he had benadryil in his system and she also believed that Steven had been feeding him large amounts of salt which was slowly poisoning him. Then one night while he was sick, Steven did not allow the little boy to sleep. He forced him to stand in a corner by the front door with his arms behind his back and told him to not move.

 Evan stood there for a few hours before he collapsed. Steven screamed at him to get back up, but the poor little boy was so exhausted, sick, and weak that he just couldn’t. Miranda says she carried Evan to the bathroom where he continued to scream. When Miranda shouted to Steven that something was seriously wrong, he pushed her aside and out of the bathroom and then he slammed the door shut.

 He was alone in there with Evan for about 2 to 5 minutes before the door opened again. Steven came out of the bathroom holding Evan, his hair wet, his body limp, and he wasn’t breathing. Miranda claims that she attempted CPR for 45 minutes. She also said that Steven told her she could not contact anyone about this.

 She then says that she fell asleep holding Evan’s body in her arms, but when she later woke up, he was gone and she never saw him again. After that, Steven told her that some friends had taken Evan because they could no longer care for him, but Miranda believed that his body was most likely in the basement.

 A couple of days after Evan died, Steven built the concrete tomb that was found in the laundry room. Miranda admitted to buying the supplies for it, but says that she never helped him build it. After Evan’s death, Miranda said that she would hide under the stairs in the basement anytime anyone would come looking for her. Steven was telling people that she had moved to either Texas or Oklahoma and that Evan had been adopted.

 Miranda also testified about the abuse that Steven had inflicted upon her. She said that she had become pregnant with his child, but had suffered a miscarriage in January or February of 2017. She says that she believes this miscarriage was because Steven dragged her through the house and punched her in the stomach multiple times.

 Miranda also said that Steven controlled her phone, money, and behavior. She said he was physically, mentally, and emotionally abusive towards her as well as Evan. She told the judge that she had tried to leave and get help for her and Evan more than once. She admitted that Evan’s death had been because of her drug addiction and her abusive relationship with Steven.

 Miranda said that the reason she stayed with Steven was because he was her best friend and she considered him a husband. That is the worst best friend I’ve ever heard of. Ever. Some of the evidence that was shown during the trial were tons of photographs as well as video surveillance footage from the cameras in the house, many of which show Evan being abused or neglected.

 And when I say numerous, there was around 16,000 photos and videos. There was also testimony given from numerous witnesses about Steven’s history abusing his past girlfriends as well as his other children. One of Steven’s daughters, Samantha Johnson, spoke up about the abuse that she had suffered at Steven’s hands.

 One time, she said he made her eat an entire can of cold black beans, and when she had thrown them up, he made her continue eating. She said she would go to school wearing long-sleeved shirts in order to hide her bruises. Steven had also almost drowned his daughter in a bathtub, and she says that she had woken up to him giving her CPR.

 When the jury returned with their verdict, they found Miranda and Steven guilty on all charges. Before their sentences were handed down, some of Evan’s relatives spoke. His aunt Cheryl asked the judge for the maximum sentence, saying that Evan’s death could have been prevented if Miranda would have just accepted one of the several offers from the Brewer family to help her out. and Evan.

 She said Miranda had every opportunity to give Evan to a family member but didn’t. Carlo, Evan’s father, spoke last. He said he fought to try to get his son and he always took comfort in knowing that his children felt safe with him. He said as the process of finding Evan went on, he started to change the picture in his mind of what it would be like when they did reunite.

At first, he had thought that Evan would come running to him and give him a big hug. But eventually, he started realizing that if anyone saw Evan, they needed to grab him and immediately take him to a hospital. Prior to her sentencing, Miranda cried in court and made a statement to the judge as well as Evan’s family.

 She said, “I should have called the police when the abuse first started. These are the choices and decisions that I must live with.” In the end, Evan is my son and my responsibility. At the time, I did what I thought was best. In the end, I failed as a mother to protect my child. I will live with that the rest of my life.

 She also said that she tried to get away from Steven, but couldn’t. Oh, and her attorney tried to argue for a lighter sentence, saying that she was the victim as well of DV. The Brewer family attorney, Shayla Johnston, argued against this, saying that just because you’re a victim of DV does not give you an excuse to not accept help that’s been offered to you.

She also said, “Miranda Miller knows very well that she was never a hostage in that house. She was in this courthouse on May 4th, 2017 while Evan was still alive, and I offered her help. At that time, I got her out of the seat, away from Stephen, and I took her out to the jury room and talked to her and told her I could help her right then and there.

 I said if she didn’t get away from Steven, that not only would she risk her life and her child’s life, but she risked losing custody of her child to Carlo. And her words were, “Over my dead body will Carlo have custody of this child.” So, she chose to let Evan die rather than let his father bring him to safety. She was no victim.

 Miranda Miller was sentenced to 25 years in prison. Steven Bodin was sentenced to 109 years in prison. It was also discovered that DCF had six separate reports of the abuse that was going on with Evan between July of 2016 and May of 2017. These reports included methamphetamine abuse by his mother DV as well as the physical abuse of Evan.

Only three of these reports were assigned for investigation and none of them were found to be substantiated. And in the last two months of Evan’s life, the agency had received two reports of near fatal abuse. One alleged that Evan had hit his head in the bathtub and become unconscious, and the other alleged that Steven had choked him and then revived him.

 The first of these reports received no response for six days, and the investigator apparently accepted Miranda’s claim that the child had moved out of state. The second report, the investigator never even laid eyes on Evan. In March 2018, DCF officials delivered a 284page document relating to those open record requests that detailed how the agency handled the allegations of abuse and neglect involving Evan Brewer.

 The document revealed that some of the abuse reported to DCF on May 14th, 2017 was not originally included in the report given to supervisors in Evan’s case. The allegation that was not originally included was that of Steven choking out Evan and then doing CPR to bring him back. It was found that on May 14th, 2017, the record had been modified so that it inaccurately indicated that the reported information was communicated to the assigned social worker and the social worker supervisor at the same time of the reporting. Instead, the

information for the alleged abuse was added on September 5th, 2017 to the report. Keep in mind, Evan’s body was found on September 2nd. Evans family had a meeting with the secretary of the state department of children and the department at that time apologized to them. [clears throat] While the agency didn’t go into specifics about the repercussions that would be felt throughout DCF, they did tell the Brewers that they hired an outside review to assist in a restructuring plan.

 Evan’s family was said to be considering a lawsuit against Kansas DCF, but I wasn’t able to find any more information on what happened with that. In March of 2018, two Witchah, Kansas DCF case workers lost their job after the Kansas Department of Children and Families fired them while making a number of personnel changes. It was in relation to Evans death, as well as two other children who had died around the same time in Kansas.

 two other children who DCF had failed. In May 2021, Steven actually tried to appeal his sentencing, but it was denied. On the night of September 10th, 2017, tons of people filled the street and the driveway of the house where Evan was found to remember the little boy. They lit candles and created a memorial for him. On January 27th, 2018, Evan Brewer’s funeral service was held at the Holy Savior Catholic Church, and there was a private burial held after for the little boy.

Well, thank you for listening to all of Evan’s story today. I’m sure this case got you just as frustrated as it got me. It’s unbelievable that Miranda and Steven were able to keep Evan hidden for so long and deny his father the legal custody that he had gotten from the court. His father tried everything to save him.

 He had done everything in his power next to knocking down the front door himself and taking Evan out of that house of horrors. It’s so terrible when someone tries to save a child and their concerns get completely ignored. >> Criminal and and a monster and all that and especially but I’m about to make you a heroist and all that because he’s going to solve this case for you.

Maurice, or Isaiah as he was called, Torres was born on July 3rd, 2008 to his parents, Mauricio and Kathy Torres. Isaiah had 10 other siblings, including his twin sister. He was a fun and loving little boy who loved to help out others. His favorite color was orange. He loved Spider-Man and the movie Toy Story.

 He also wanted to be a police officer when he grew up, and his favorite foods were chicken and macaroni and cheese. Isaiah additionally loved wearing hats, singing, dancing, and telling knockknock jokes. Little Isaiah and his two sisters, Madison and McKenzie, would also volunteer at the Samaritan Community Center in Rogers, Arkansas.

The director said that he and his sister came in each week to help put together snack packs. And little Isaiah, who was very helpful, loved breaking down boxes. Now, Isaiah’s parents, Mauricio and Kathy, had met in Jonesboro, Arkansas, and got married in 2002. Mauricio, had previously been married, and he lived in California.

 He had two children from this marriage, Mauricio Jr., and Erica. They both lived with their mother. And Kathy had four children from her previous marriage. Her children were named Nicholas, Bailey, Spencer, and Quinton. The couple then had two children together who would be removed from their custody before Mauricio and Kathy then went on to have a daughter and Isaiah and his twin sister.

 So there was a total of 11 children between the pair. On the afternoon of March 29th, 2015, Isaiah’s mother Kathy would call 911 to report that Isaiah was unresponsive. When the first responders arrived at the family’s home on 9 Kreswell Circle in Bella Vista, they found the little boy lying on the floor on his back.

 When they asked the couple what had happened, they explained that they had just returned home from a family camping trip. But they had no idea what was wrong with the little boy. However, as the paramedics placed six-year-old Isaiah on the stretcher, they noticed that he had multiple bruises, lacerations, and puncture wounds.

 Therefore, police were contacted. Sadly, Isaiah would pass away shortly after he arrived at the hospital at 12:23 a.m. on March 30th, 2015. It was discovered that the six-year-old had signs of blunt force trauma to his head and extremities. He had also developed a severe case of sepsis. This infection had occurred after an object had been shoved into Isaiah’s rectum, an object that police would later find out was a large stick.

 They also discovered that Isaiah had 23 separate wounds to his head. He had teeth that had been knocked or pulled out. His nose was broken. And he had a bizarre diamond- shaped injury on his abdomen. The boy’s father, Mauricio, would tell doctors that his injuries, at least the ones on his back, were from a chemical burn that had taken place months earlier after Isaiah had fallen into a puddle of bleach in the bathroom.

 According to Mauricio, Isaiah had been treated for these injuries at a hospital, but doctors were unable to confirm this. Now, when a search was conducted of the Torres’s home, police found blood spatter on the walls, floor, and ceiling of the master bedroom and the attached master bath. Blood spatter was also found on 15lb dumbbells that were inside the bathroom.

 And in the bedroom, a fireplace poker tool that had a diamond shape on it, similar to the one that was found on Isaiah’s body, was discovered. There was additionally vomit and a stethoscope found on the bed. Then, when the family’s camper was searched, the one that they had just used on their recent camping trip, detectives found a large circular blood stain on one of the mattresses.

 Between all of this and the fact that the parents did not show any emotional response when they were informed that Isaiah was dead, police brought Mauricio and Kathy down to the station for questioning. In Cathy’s initial interview with detectives, she told them that the family had arrived home around 10 p.m. the previous day.

 And it was earlier, close to 2:00 p.m., that Isaiah had started to get a stomach ache. She had then, in turn, given him some Pepto-Bismol. According to her, Isaiah had been acting normal when they arrived back home, and he’d even taken a shower and put on his own pajamas. Kathy claimed that after the shower, she had left him sleeping in the master bedroom.

But when she returned just a moment later, Isaiah wasn’t breathing, so she had contacted 911. The mother also denied any knowledge of Isaiah’s injuries, instead suggesting that he was clumsy and often ran into doors. According to her, Isaiah had some dark circles under his eyes when they had returned back from their camping trip.

She also tried to say that his nose wasn’t broken, but rather it was always a little crooked, and she denied any wrongdoing. When authorities confronted Cathy with allegations of abuse, she stated that she loved her son and would never hurt him. According to Kathy, her and her husband never fought and they rarely punished the kids at all.

 Now, Mauricio’s story was much the same as Cathy’s in regards to their camping trip, as well as little Isaiah’s stomach ache when they had returned back home. He said that they had given him medicine and made sure that he stayed hydrated. According to Mauricio, though, Isaiah had been very difficult to wake up in the car when they returned home, and he hadn’t showered himself as Kathy had claimed, but rather he needed assistance.

 But when Mauricio had asked his wife Kathy if she thought they should bring the boy to the emergency room, she said no because it was just a stomach ache and it didn’t warrant it. He also denied any knowledge of how Isaiah had obtained his injuries, saying that the little boy was just clumsy and maybe a virus had been the thing that killed him.

 He also stated that at one point maybe Isaiah’s injuries were due to negligence, but they had never been intentionally inflicted. Mauricio would even speculate to detectives that maybe his son had an undiagnosed condition like hypoglycemia or diabetes that could have been a factor in his death. He went on to tell detectives that his wife Kathy actually spent the most amount of time with Isaiah, but he knew that she would not hurt the children.

 Then he claimed that he was only guilty of one thing, which was his inability to save his son, and he had failed not only as a father, but as a man. Shortly after these statements were made, detectives took a break from interviewing Mauricio. And during this time, he grew increasingly anxious. Then, when they resumed their interview, Mauricio made multiple comments, insinuating that he thought Kathy had ratted him out or implicated him in hurting their son.

 So, it wasn’t very long after that that the husband and wife began to turn on each other. And as they did, detectives began to uncover the horrifying truth about what had happened to Isaiah. Kathy had changed her story, and she was now telling detectives that she had previously seen her husband, Mauricio, hurt their son.

 According to her, he would beat him with his fists, extension cords, and a belt. She also admitted that on occasion, she had joined in with hitting Isaiah with this belt, but she didn’t do it hard enough to hurt him. Isaiah’s two sisters, who were just six and seven at the time, were also brought in for questioning.

 And even though they told authorities that Mauricio had instructed them not to speak about Isaiah’s death, they would confirm the camping story that their parents had told with some major differences. One being that on the morning that Isaiah had died, one of his sisters had woken up to find him tied up in the bathtub by shoelaces.

 Apparently, Kathy and Mauricio were furious with Isaiah for eating a piece of cake. The sister also recalled their father taking Isaiah and dragging him into the camper later that day. Then he forced him to strip naked and beat him with a stick. Also, according to the girl, Isaiah had to sit down quite frequently during their trip as he was unwell.

 And by the time they had returned back home, Isaiah had to be carried in from the car. The little girl also told authorities that Isaiah was so out of it when they got home that the entire family had to help take his clothes off and shower him because he couldn’t even stand up in the shower. After that, Kathy put on his pajamas, then gave him some gummy vitamins and green tea before putting him to bed.

 The little girl claimed that Isaiah was acting very strangely at this point. Then on April 7th, about a week after Isaiah’s death, Mauricio, who was being held in jail on suspicion of murdering his son, requested to speak with the police captain. This came after he found out that his wife Kathy had filed an order of protection against him and was now blaming him for Isaiah’s death.

According to Kathy, she had not been with the family the entire day on the 29th, the day that 911 had been called. She claimed that around 2:30 p.m. she had gone to Lowe’s and she was gone for a little under an hour. During that time, Mauricio had been left with the boy. Kathy then told a detective that she was scared of her husband, Mauricio, and that he had hurt Isaiah, which is why they were there.

 Now, when the detective went to speak with Mauricio, the very first thing that he would do was complain about his conditions in jail. He said that he needed more protein because he had just had a weight loss surgery and he was cold because he didn’t have a proper mattress. Boohoo. He then went on to describe his wife Kathy as being a very controlling person who was just as responsible for Isaiah’s death as he was.

 Though according to Mauricio, his son’s death was just an accident. While they were on their family trip, Mauricio claimed that Isaiah had eaten some cake and this infuriated Kathy. So, as punishment, he had forced a stick into Isaiah’s rectum, then made him do squats as he and Kathy watched on. Mauricio even demonstrated what had happened to detectives.

 As the little boy was doing this, the parents decided that he wasn’t moving fast enough for their sick pleasure. So Kathy forced him down on the stick even further. She then took the stick out and cleaned up. During Mauricio’s confession to police, he laughed and claimed that his son looked so cute doing his squats, which is one of the sickest things I have ever heard.

 According to the father, the stick was something that they normally used to spank Isaiah with because it was the only thing that he responded to as the boy had anger issues. He claimed >> when you said that you did it once before. >> No, I put the stick. >> I did that one for I >> How how long before this last Sunday was that? >> A while.

 It was normally I was thinking >> Mauricio would then pin the blame on his wife for abusing not only Isaiah but also their two daughters. He stated that Kathy did not have the same problems with the two girls as she did with Isaiah. And Mauricio tried to say that he would often try to stop his wife from hurting the kids when he was around.

 He additionally told investigators that he did not believe that Kathy cared about him or their children and he felt like he had betrayed his son. The reason why is she not saying anything because she doesn’t want to implement herself. Does that make sense? Cuz she knows she’s equally guilty. >> Another thing that Mauricio would say during this interview was, “When my son died, a part of me died forever.

” Ultimately, both Kathy and Mauricio were arrested and charged with capital homicide, first-degree battery, and assault. The thing is, Child Protective Services had long been involved with the family, and they had investigated multiple reports of abuse of Mauricio and Cathy’s children, even prior to Isaiah’s birth.

 According to Mauricio’s oldest daughter, Erica Torres, her father was her and her brothers living nightmare for a long time. when their own mother had divorced Mauricio prior to him meeting Kathy. He had lost contact with his children completely and had his parental rights taken away. His daughter Erica thought that things were done as far as him hurting children.

 But when she learned that he had gone on to have more kids, she called up her brother Mauricio Torres Jr. and told him that she was terrified what could happen to their father’s new children. Then in 2004, one of Cathy’s daughters from her previous relationship accused Mauricio of Raping her.

 It had been reported by the girl’s aunt, but Mauricio denied touching the four-year-old inappropriately, and the case would be closed due to lack of physical evidence and an incomplete account by the victim, who was only four. Mauricio would then be questioned by Jonesboro police just months after this. in regards to more allegations made by Cathy’s then four-year-old daughter, the same one.

 And even though child services had records that this little girl and her siblings had previously been put into foster care due to allegations of physical abuse, the agency yet again determined that these claims were unsubstantiated. The thing is, this four-year-old had told investigators that her stepfather, Mauricio, had instructed her not to tell anyone, and she never even told her own mother.

 When Mauricio had been questioned about these allegations, he claimed that the girl’s biological father was just attacking him in an attempt to gain custody. Kathy would agree with Mauricio, saying that these indeed were just her ex’s intentions. And again in August of 2007, another report was filed with child services due to allegations abuse, but would also be closed without any charges brought against Mauricio.

 Now at school, Isaiah had been a very happy boy who was ready to learn. But as he grew older, his demeanor started to change and he became more withdrawn. He also started to get more angry and combative towards both his teachers and peers. His teachers additionally noticed that Isaiah was stealing food from other students and rumaging through the trash in an attempt to find food.

 His teachers at the Ambassadors of Christ Academy, where the boy was enrolled in kindergarten, soon began noticing that Isaiah would come to school with bruises and cuts on his body, and these injuries never seemed to heal. As such, the teachers began taking notes and reporting their concerns to the Arkansas Department of Human Services, but it seems like nothing was done in regards to these concerns as they were marked as unsubstantiated yet again.

 Then following these reports, Isaiah and his sisters were pulled from school and homeschooled the following year. Now, even though all the children in the home were being mistreated, Isaiah was treated much worse than the others. While the boy’s siblings would be fed home-cooked meals or meals from restaurants, he was forced to eat rice and beans or peanut butter sandwiches.

Isaiah also regularly had his birthday ignored. And his parents would instead only celebrate his twin sister, giving her affection and presents. Additionally, Isaiah never received Christmas presents and was instead given Cole. As time went on, things only got worse for the boy, and Mauricio would make Isaiah drink his urine, and eat his feces.

 The little boy was not allowed to take anything but cold showers. He was beaten with a cable, shoes, sticks, and a fist, and was often forced to sleep in a dog cage. Sometimes Mauricio would take a pair of underwear, dunk them into a bucket of his piss, then force Isaiah to wear them around the house on his head.

 One time, Mauricio even pulled the boy’s teeth out using pliers and poured bleach on his body. Isaiah’s older sisters would be forced to hit the boy with a stick, as well as monitor Isaiah on occasion to make sure that he was not escaping from his cage enclosure at night or stealing any food. One time, Isaiah was even forced to stay inside a trash bin for about a month.

 Kathy would end up admitting to her son’s capital murder in March of 2017. She took a plea deal which saw that the death penalty was removed from the table as a possible punishment. Yet, she still maintained that she had not caused any of his injuries. Kathy would be sentenced to life in prison. When it was Mauricio’s turn to go to trial, his defense tried to put the entire blame on Kathy.

 But it was obvious that the father had something to do with the death and abuse of his son Isaiah. During the trial, many witnesses would be called to the stand, including Mauricio’s family, who testified that Mauricio’s mother had never been in his life, and his father, Edgar Torres, had punished Mauricio as a child by making him engage in rigorous physical activity, and he often overdid it.

Mauricio would also be struck with a belt if he slowed down, and he was called derogatory names by his father. Then many of Mauricio’s adult children and stepchildren would take the stand to describe the horror that their lives had been when they lived with Mauricio. All of them that testified would accuse Mauricio of physically abusing them.

 He hit them, kicked them, threw them around, and would often yank and drag them by their ears. Mauricio’s son, Mauricio Torres Jr., testified that one time when he couldn’t get his shoes on fast enough, his father had kicked him so hard that he had vomited from it, then was forced to eat the vomit. He also claimed that his father would lock him and his brother into a room and forced them to fight each other.

 Now, almost all of Mauricio’s children also claimed that he had made them perform sexual acts on him and each other. Some of the witnesses told the jury that they had even been raped with objects. It seemed like Mauricio hurting his children was a very regular thing in the household.

 The adult children also told the jury that Mauricio was the dominant parent in the relationship, even though he had tried to make it seem like quite the opposite during his interrogation with police. At the end of the trial, Mauricio Torres would be convicted for the abuse and death of his son Isaiah. And in November of 2016, he was sentenced to death.

 However, in 2019, this was overturned due to a sentencing technicality. The Arkansas Supreme Court stated that the SA of Isaiah could not be used as a basis for seeking a capital homicide conviction. But then in March of 2020, Mauricio was again convicted on his charges. However, this was declared as a mistrial after Mauricio’s stepson jumped out of the witness stand and tried to attack him during his sentencing.

 Mauricio again returned to court in February of 2023 and he would beg the jury not to have him killed. He was then convicted a third time and sentenced to life behind bars without the possibility of parole. A woman named Amy Gorley, who has no connection to Isaiah or his family, but sat in on Mauricio’s trials, established the Isaiah Torres Memorial Scholarship Fund in his memory.

 This fund financially helped students who were enrolled in the Child Advocacy Studies Program at Northwest Arkansas Community College. Isaiah’s funeral was held shortly after his death at the Emerson Funeral Home in Jonesboro, Arkansas. Well, thank you for listening to Isaiah’s story today. His so-called parents are absolutely vile human beings, and it’s impossible to comprehend how they ever thought any of the punishments that they issued towards Isaiah were at all acceptable.

 Hopefully the other inmates where both Mauricio and Kathy are being held know exactly what these monsters did to Isaiah and his siblings and never let either of them have another moment of peace in their life. >> Instead of protecting him and nurturing him, guiding him, they tortured him, battered him, degraded him. and started.

Antonio or Tony Caro Renova was born on June 15th, 2014 to his mother, Stephanie Bington, and his father, Emlio Renova, Senior. He also had five siblings. Tony was raised in Columbus, Montana, but at the time of this story, he was living in Great Falls, Montana. He loved animals, making people laugh, Mickey Mouse, and playing in the mud with his monster trucks and cars.

 Tony was said to be lovable, kind, and he always had a smile on his face. Tony’s biological parents, Stephanie and Amelio, who were part of the Crow Tribe, had prior criminal histories, and there had also been multiple instances of domestic violence between the two. In April of 2008, Billings police officers would respond to a report of assault at the couple’s apartment.

 Stephanie, who was pregnant at the time, reportedly had tried to stop Amelio from drinking alcoholic beverages, and he responded to this by kicking and punching her in the stomach. He was charged with assault for this incident. And then in October of 2009, Amelio was again charged for assault. This time, Amelia had attacked his sister and left bruises and cuts on her face, neck, and hands.

 Stephanie and one of the couple’s young children was also present during this attack. Then in August of 2012, Stephanie would be charged with kidnapping after taking off with children in a vehicle. These children were relatives of some sort, and Stephanie was also charged with endangering these same children for bringing them into a hotel room where meth was being used.

 The kidnapping charge would be dismissed later that year. And in the same year, Stephanie was also charged with stealing money. In April of 2014, Amelia was charged for a third time with assault. This time, Stephanie was 6 months pregnant and he had pulled out a pistol on her. She also reported that Amelio had struck her in the head and tried to run her over with his pickup truck.

 During that particular incident, Stephanie and Amelio actually were not a couple. They had broken up in November of 2013. after Stephanie had given birth to two of their children and was pregnant with their third, Tony. The couple, of course, would later end up getting back together, though. Oh, and also in 2014, Amelia was charged with felony robbery when he and three other men entered a home where a woman and her 18-month-old child were sleeping.

 They were all wearing face masks and were armed with rifles. After they broke in, however, they asked the woman where the beer was and then proceeded to only steal a phone before leaving. Amelia was ultimately sentenced on that charge of robbery, and he was ordered to undergo anger management training as well as register as a violent offender.

 So, when Tony was born in June of 2014, he was born with fetal alcohol syndrome, and both of his parents were in jail at the time as well. Therefore, when Tony was only 3 days old, he went into a foster home. Tony’s new foster parents were ironically named Christy and Jeff Foster, and the couple had had fostered children in the past.

 The Fosters had a lot of love to give. However, they had never been able to conceive any children on their own. So, they were constantly fostering new children. The Fosters recently moved from Florida to Montana when they decided they wanted to give yet another child a loving home. And soon after, Tony was placed with them. When Tony went to live with the fosters, they immediately fell in love with the little boy and knew that they wanted to adopt him as their own.

 However, even though the social worker had told the fosters that it was unlikely that Tony’s birth parents would ever regain custody of him, it was also unlikely that the fosters would be able to permanently adopt the little boy. While Native American foster children may be placed with non-Native American families temporarily, it is known to be very difficult for them to be adopted by a non-Native American family, regardless of if the child lived on the reservation, regardless of how much or how little Native American DNA the child

has, and even regardless of the child’s biological parents wishes. Now, because of this, the Fosters, by the advice of the social worker, would regularly take Tony to pow-wows and other Native American cultural events, sometimes even traveling long distances to attend them. The social worker had told the couple that they would stand a better chance of being approved for adopting Tony if they showed his trib’s court system, Crow’s Nation, that they would keep in touch with his roots and culture.

 And it was great for Tony to attend these events as well, as he was said to really love the dancing and drumming. Now, even though the fosters love Tony unconditionally, he could be hard to manage at times. Due to his fetal alcohol syndrome, Tony could be a handful. When he would act out, though, his foster parents would just tightly hold him until he calmed down again.

 He would then go on like nothing had happened. The fosters did not believe in spanking or any other kind of violent punishment. Things seemed to be going well with Tony in the fosters home. Even their extended family loved him. But in 2018, the Fosters would discover that the Crow Tribal Court was moving to have Tony placed back with his biological parents and removed from their home.

 And due to the fact that the Fosters were not tribal members, they received very little judicial process. They were not granted an appearance before the judge and had to conduct any correspondence through a tribal social worker. Regardless of all their efforts and love for Tony, however, the Fosters were told that they were not going to be able to keep him.

The tribal judge had said, and this is a quote, “I’ll be damned if I’m the first Crow judge to let a white couple adopt a Crow child.” And this part really blows my mind and aggravates the hell out of me. Why is that okay? Why? She signed his death sentence. So, on this judge’s order, Tony was introduced to his biological parents whom he had never met before.

 It’s unclear what Tony thought of this, though. The Fosters were the only parents that he had ever known. He had been with them since he was 3 days old. That was his mom and dad. And the reason that Tony was being returned to his biological parents now was because they had been recently released from jail. However, Stephanie and Amelio did have to complete a probationary period first.

 They both had to get jobs and a stable place to live before Tony could be returned to them. Time with Tony for them started off with a couple of supervised visits where a social worker was present to make sure that nothing happened, like they didn’t take off running with him. These supervised visits then developed into nonsupervised visits as well as overnights.

 So sadly, despite their attempts to adopt Tony, it was soon made clear that Tony would be leaving the Fosters home. And one of the last trips that the Fosters would share with Tony was a vacation to Disney World in February of 2019. The entire family attended, and they spoiled him, knowing that this would probably be the only time that he ever got to go to Disney World, and they wanted him to remember it.

 On the day that Christy and Jeff dropped off Tony with his biological parents for the last time in March of 2019, they told him, “If they start hurting you, tell somebody. Tell an adult. They can help you.” The fosters were both heartbroken and fearful that something would happen to Tony while he was in the care of his biological parents, especially given the interaction that they had had with them just days prior.

 The Fosters had told Stephanie and Amelio that they were going to bring Tony’s stuff with him, his bed and his toys. But Stephanie and Amelio told them, “Don’t bring his bed. We don’t have any room for it. Don’t bring his toys. We don’t have any room for those either.” So, in his new home, Tony did not have a bed.

 He didn’t have his toys. He didn’t have a room. He was sleeping on the floor. How is this okay just because his parents are Native American and living on a reservation? And while at the fosters, Tony also had a little tablet of his own. Of course, he was not allowed to bring this with him to his biological parents house because he could make phone calls and send emails from it.

 Instead, the fosters bought Tony a tiny book, and inside one of the pages, they placed their phone number and address, and a little note that said, “Mommy loves you.” Now, Stephanie and Amelio made all kinds of promises to the fosters, including that they could be Tony’s godparents, that they would be able to go and visit him anytime they liked, that they would be able to take him for weekends as well as vacations on occasion.

 But as soon as the biological parents got back custody of Tony, they barely even let him call Christy and Jeff on the phone. At first, the fosters had been allowed to do video calls with Tony, but then that went away and things went even further downhill from there. During one rare telephone call with the then four-year-old, Tony was on the phone crying.

 And Christy could hear Stephanie in the background shouting, “She’s not your mommy. I am.” The Fosters had become increasingly frustrated and disappointed with their attempts to keep in contact with Tony. So, when Christy was offered a better job in Nashville, the Fosters decided to move. And even so, Christy still kept in touch with the social worker and told the social worker that if anything at all happened, they would love to take Tony back into their home.

 But to make things even worse, the social worker broke it to the fosters that even if Tony’s biological parents were unable to care for him, they would not be able to have him back either. He would just go back into the foster system. Then in June of 2019, only three months after Tony had been placed back with his biological parents, they would take him to Benefit’s emergency room for bruising on his face.

 The doctor there would describe him as having sad eyes. At the time of this visit, emergency department staff also noticed that Tony’s then 2-year-old sibling had pretty much no teeth as they had all decayed away. And his one-year-old sibling had extremely rotten teeth as well. and all three children were said to be very unclean.

Due to all of this, the doctor had called child protective services. However, by the time they arrived, the family had already left the hospital. They then tried to locate the family but were unable to. So, they closed the case. However, they didn’t try very hard or really at all because at the time both Stephanie and Amelio were on probation, so they would have had their address as well as their telephone numbers.

Then on November 20th at 9:07 a.m., Stephanie made a call to 911 saying that her son Tony was lying on the floor unresponsive. As first responders were sent to the scene, a 911 dispatcher talked Stephanie through doing CPR. But she reportedly told the dispatcher that there was blood coming out of Tony’s mouth and she freaked out.

 When Great Falls police officers arrived at the apartment building where Tony and his family lived near Valley View Elementary, they found the little boy laying on the floor in his bedroom. And he was unresponsive as well as bleeding from his nose and his mouth. And when the paramedics arrived shortly after, they gave Tony CPR, but he was still unresponsive and he would then be pronounced dead at the scene.

First responders at the scene noted that Stephanie would be very upset for a little while and then she would calm down completely. And Alio did not seem very upset at all, not reacting at all the way a parent should after such a tragedy. Originally, the police believed that there was brain matter found on Tony’s clothing.

 However, they later discovered that it was some sort of glue that had previously been used to close up some sort of laceration to his head. This injury was about the size of a silver dollar. Tony was also covered in bruises and his legs appeared abnormal and possibly broken. He was also very thin and malnourished.

 Tony had gone to the doctors in February of 2019 when he was still at the fosters’s home and at that time he was a healthy 44 lb. However, when he was found dead, he was a mere 31 [snorts] lb. Tony had been starved and beaten to death. It was no accident. When police officers looked through the apartment after Tony’s passing, they discovered smeared blood on the inside as well as the ledge of the bathtub.

 Along with Stephanie and Amelio, two other adults had been in the apartment the night prior. Rexo Bertail and Tiana Small. One police officer who had arrived to the scene spotted Rasco carrying a trash bag out of the apartment into the dumpster. Upon inspection of the trash bag, the officer found a bloody rag with gory stuff on it.

 Alcoholic beverage containers and clothing were also found. When questioned about bringing this trash out, Rasco would tell police that he had cleaned up the apartment because he did not want it to appear dirty when the police arrived. Like they give a [ __ ] The other visitor from the previous night, Tiana Small, also spoke with police.

 She reported that the night prior the group had drank several cases of beer and twisted tea. She said at one point Tony had gotten out of bed and he had gotten in trouble for this. As punishment, Stephanie and Amelio took the little boy into the bathroom. There they gave him a cold shower. Amelio stayed in there with Tony and Stephanie would come out to call her sister.

 And then apparently Rasco went into the bathroom with Amelio because Tiana says that she then heard Amelio and Rasco beating the child with Rasco egging Amelio on and calling Tony terrible names. Tiana then told police that she later needed to use the bathroom and Amelio told her that Tony was still in there.

 When she went in, at first she didn’t see Tony. She just noticed that the shower was still running and that there was no steam, meaning that it was still cold water. Tiana then saw Tony, who looked very sad, as she said, and was holding very large, heavy bottles over his head as punishment. Tiana also told police that this was a punishment that Stephanie would often use on the little boy, and she would record it for her own sick pleasure or something.

 At one point during the night, Tiana and Stephanie would leave the apartment to go visit a friend. And it was then that Stephanie told her that she was worried and stressed out because she was not supposed to have Tony and Child Protective Services was looking for him, which was not true. Amelio Renova, Stephanie Bington, and Rasco Bertail were all arrested and charged in connection with Tony’s death.

 All three were then each held on a $500,000 bond at the Cascade County Detention Center. Tony’s siblings were placed with child protective services. Rasco Bertail was charged with deliberate homicide and tampering with evidence. Stephanie was charged with deliberate homicide, assault to a minor, criminal child endangerment, and endangering the welfare of a child.

 Amelio was charged with deliberate homicide, criminal child endangerment, endangering the welfare of a child, and assault on a minor. He also then later faced two more charges of assault on a minor after videos were found on his phone. In these videos, Amelio and Stephanie can be seen abusing Tony for wetting his pants.

 In one of them, you can see Tony being taken to the bathroom and hit over and over again, even after he’s already on the floor. When Amelio was interviewed by police, he admitted that he had been drinking the night prior. And when he had woke up that morning, he had gone outside to smoke a cigarette. Shortly after, his wife Stephanie came outside to tell him that their son Tony was not breathing.

 He claimed ignorance as to why Tony had any injuries or to his cause of death. And while Alio admitted that he was the last person to touch Tony, when police questioned him further on this, he got agitated and began swearing at them. There were also discrepancies in Alio’s statements to police. There was blood found on his pants that he insisted was nail polish, but he also said he did not touch his son or assist in the CPR after he had been found unresponsive, so there would be no reason why he would have blood on his clothes. Amelio also appeared to

have blood on his face and lip when police arrived that he had been trying to wipe off. In addition to that, the injuries that occurred on Tony’s body could not have happened in such a short period of time while he was outside smoking a cigarette. When police spoke with Stephanie, she told them that she had heard Amelio and Rasco beating Tony.

She said that she also knew that Amelio had used glue on one of Tony’s wounds. Stephanie also reported to them that a few weeks prior, Amelio had actually kicked his son into an object, injuring him. She also admitted that she and Amelio had on previous occasions beat Tony with belts and electrical cords. So, one of Alio’s attorneys would ask for a 60-year sentence for his client with 20 of those being suspended.

 He said that Amelio had been classified as uncaring and unemotional. However, there had been times after Tony’s death that he had been visibly upset. He said that his client could not fathom how he had woken up to Tony not breathing and dead. Really? This same attorney also said that Stephanie had never made up any excuses for her involvement in the crime and she had been in an abusive relationship with Alio that inhibited her ability to stand up to him.

 In February of 2021, Rasco Bird would plead guilty to charges of assault of a minor by accountability and tampering with evidence. The deliberate homicide charge had been dropped after there was no evidence or any DNA evidence found on Tony’s body, suggesting that Rasco had killed the little boy.

 He had been egging on Amelio instead. Rasco had no criminal history up to this point. However, after Tony’s death, he had been accused of strangling a family member as well as aggravated burglary. However, in relation to Tony’s murder, he was sentenced on one count to 5 years at the Montana State Prison and on the other count 10 years.

 These sentences are to run consecutively, and he will at one point be eligible for parole. In court, Rascal would apologize for not doing anything the night of Tony’s murder. However, he said that he was worried that Amelio would go after his family if he did. Right. That’s why you were also actively encouraging it too, huh? Around the same time that Rasco took his plea deal, Stephanie also took a plea deal.

 Her plea agreement amended the initial deliberate homicide charge to accountability to deliberate homicide, assault on a minor, criminal child endangerment, and endangering the welfare of a child. In addition, she was also to testify against her husband at trial. The judge gave Stephanie Bington a 100red years with no chance of parole for 30 years on the charge of homicide.

On the count of criminal child endangerment, she received 10 years, which are to run consecutively. And Amelio Renova was scheduled to go to trial as well. However, he also decided to take a plea deal. In his plea agreement, he was allowed to plead no contest. And in return, the state agreed to not make a sentencing recommendation.

It was completely left up to the judge. And in court, Amelio would say, “I know everyone thinks I’m a monster or whatever, but I did love Tony. I miss him every day. I don’t care what anybody says. He’s my baby.” Amelio said that Tony’s death has ruined their family and his whole life. Yeah, that’s what happens when you kill a child.

 What did you expect? Amelio would also end up receiving a 100red years in prison with no chance of parole. During their sentencing hearing, the judge would say that despite the trauma that the defendants had been through in their lives, nothing can excuse the crime against Tony. The two most responsible for his murder were his parents.

 The judge said instead of nurturing him, they tortured, battered, degraded, and starved him as part of a pattern of abuse leading up to his death. and only the heaviest punishment was appropriate for them. The judge also said that Rasco did more than just ignore it or walk away.

 He instead encouraged it and tried to protect the murderers. Tony’s aunt and grandfather spoke to the court asking that both Amelio and Rasco receive the death penalty or life without the possibility of parole. and Quinsey Bad Moccasin Senior, Stephanie’s father, also addressed Amelio and Rasco. He said, “What kind of person beats a child? What kind of monster could do what Amelio did to baby Tony?” Bad moccasin said he’s also hoping that Amelio is given prison justice for his crime.

 And in his mind, Rascow is just as guilty of Tony’s murder as Amelio is. However, he had nothing to say about his daughter Stephanie, who admitted to beating Tony on a few occasions. On November 24th, 2019, a candlelight memorial vigil was planned outside the apartment building in Great Falls where Tony’s body was found.

 People stopped by to drop off flowers, toys, cards, and hold candles. They also collected donations for Toby’s House Crisis Nursery in memory of Tony. And sadly, Christy and Jeff Foster only learned of Tony’s death a few months after it happened. Somebody who lived in Montana and was a friend of Christy and Jeff’s had seen it on the local news and recognized the name and called them to tell them.

 The Fosters no longer held any legal privileges for information about Tony. No official involved with the investigation called them. No caring social worker reached out to them. And a final wish of the Fosters was that they could claim Tony’s body since his parents were in jail and guilty of murdering him. The Fosters wanted to bury Tony in Tennessee, giving him a proper service and being able to visit the little boy anytime they wanted.

However, Tony’s biological family was instead given custody of his remains, and a funeral was held on November 26th, 2019 at the Lodgegrass Cemetery in LGrass, Montana. Well, thank you for listening to all of Tony’s story today. I am appalled at the fact that this judge gave Tony back to his biological parents solely based on the fact that they were Native American and belonged to that tribe.

 His foster parents adored him. They had had this little boy since birth. That was their child. And they weren’t trying to keep him from any of his culture. They were actively bringing him to pow-wows and other events. It makes no sense. And it’s not only unfair to the Fosters, but it’s extremely unfair to Tony, who knew nobody else as his mom and dad but them.

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