While he was taking care of the toddler, man beat and shook his girlfriend’s 2-year-old boy until he stopped breathing and died, pleads guilty

Single parents who are looking for a life partner should really make sure that their significant others are well prepared to be parents and accept the children in every single way. This doesn’t mean that the partners are only expected to take their part in the whole parenthood thing, but they should also be reliable people and people of trust.

This was not the case with the 21-year-old E. Parra, who apparently made the wrong choice when she decided to start new chapter in her life with her boyfriend because he recently pleaded guilty to beating to death her 2-year-old son Emilio while he was taking care of him in their home.

Police officers were dispatched to a local hospital after ER staff notified them of a toddler who was not breathing and had multiple bruises in different stages of healing. The toddler’s bruises indicated that he was abused and beaten for an extended period of time. The 2-year-old toddler was pronounced brain dead and kept on life support until his death four days later as a result of the beating incident in January last year.

Police conducted an investigation and after questioning hospital employees, toddler’s mother and her boyfriend, they obtained a warrant and searched their house in Arizona where the mother lived with her boyfriend, the victim and a baby girl.

According to the court records, Smith had been in Toscano’s care before he was taken to hospital unresponsive. Police considered Toscano responsible for the toddler death and arrested him. He was indicted on second-degree murder, aggravated assault and child abuse charges by the grand jury.

The victim’s mother was charged with two counts of child abuse and after failing to appear in court at a hearing, a nationwide arrest warrant was issued for her. Smith’s paternal grandmother is offering a $1,000 reward for anyone with information about Parra’s whereabouts. Parra has been on the run ever since.

Smith’s sister was removed by the Department of Child Safety and placed in foster care.

At the hearing last month, Toscano pleaded guilty to the charges of a second degree murder and child abuse. He could spend more than 30 years in prison for both charges. According to the plea agreement, Toscano must serve 27 years in prison for the second degree murder charge, minus the two years he has already served in jail. On the second offense, Toscano was told by Superior Court Judge L. Cardinal that he would not serve more than ten years but not less than five. He also could get lifetime probation for the second offense, Cardinal said.

His sentence will be announced at a hearing scheduled for November 18. Smith’s paternal grandparents said their angel would finally get justice and rest in peace after almost two years.