Texas Mist
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Victim's Mother Also Facing Charges
POSTED: 6:15 pm CDT March 15, 2010
RACINE, Wis. -- A 40-year-old Racine man is accused of killing a 2-year-old boy, punching him because he was spilling his milk.
Manuel Garcia made an appearance in Racine County Court on Monday.
Investigators said Garcia lost his temper with his girlfriend's son, punching him numerous times in the abdomen on Thursday, killing him.
Family members said Jovani Martinez died early Friday at a Racine hospital, just hours after Garcia and his mother, Lawanda Martinez, 25, brought him in.
Police later interviewed Garcia at his Racine home, and according to the criminal complaint, he admitted punching the boy at least three times because the child was quote "frustrating him" and spilling his milk.
.............................
Martinez is charged with child neglect resulting in death. Prosecutors said she largely ignored the boy's injuries and symptoms until it was too late.
"He was dizzy, he wasn't responding to nothing. I kept telling her to take him to the hospital," Martinez's mother, Wanda Williams, said.
Williams with Martinez and the child before he died. She said that although she doesn't blame her for his death, she agrees Martinez should've taken him to the hospital right away.
She said she's upset and disappointed.
"Yes I am, because she should've listened to me and took him to the hospital. She should've took him to the hospital like I asked her to do. But, she did not do, she did not do it," Williams said.
The boy's father was not in court on Monday. Earlier, he told the Racine Journal Times he had seen signs of abuse with the child, but didn't know how to report it.
http://www.wisn.com/news/22848485/detail.html
=====================================
A Racine couple is now charged in a deadly case of child abuse.
According to a criminal complaint filed Monday afternoon, 2-year-old Jovani Martinez was killed over spilled milk. His mother and her boyfriend are in the Racine County Jail charged in connection with his beating death.
The medical examiner found that 2-year-old Jovani Martinez died from perforated intestines, a lacerated liver and pancreas, and broken ribs.
40-year-old Manuel Garcia is charged with inflicting the fatal injuries.
According to the criminal complaint, Martinez admitted punching and throwing Jovani several times while babysitting him Thursday afternoon.
Martinez said he didn't mean to, but got angry because the toddler kept shaking his bottle and getting milk on his newborn sister.
video here
http://www.cbs58.com/index.php?aid=11522
=====================================
<snip>
In the young boy's death, Manuel Garcia, 40, the mother's live-in fiance or boyfriend, was arrested Friday. He is charged with first-degree reckless homicide in the death of Jovani Martinez, age 26 months.
Police said Garcia and the mother, Lawanda Martinez, both of 1918 Grange Ave., brought the unconscious boy to Wheaton Franciscan-All Saints hospital, 3801 Spring St., at about 12:30 a.m. Friday. The boy was pronounced dead about two hours later.
The Waukesha County Medical Examiner's Office, which handles autopsies for Racine County, determined that Jovani died of blunt force trauma injuries.
.............................................
Jovani Martinez's father, Octavio Martinez, alleged Saturday that he saw signs of abuse of his son while the boy lived with Lawanda Martinez and Garcia.
Octavio, who was estranged from Lawanda, said they had two children together. By legal arrangement, Jovani lived with his mother, and their daughter, 3, lived with Octavio, a drywall laborer.
With his future sister-in-law, Martha Montes, acting as interpreter, Octavio said he had weekly visitation rights to see Jovani.
"There were times when he went to pick him up, and he would have bruises on his face," Montes said for Octavio, 31. "He would ask Mom about it, and she wouldn't give a reason."
Octavio said he often did not exercise visitation at those times because he was afraid Lawanda would try to blame him for the injuries - as she had in the past, the father said.
But once, Octavio said, he did pick up the boy when he had a large bump on his head and took him home and put medication on it.
Octavio never reported the injuries to authorities because he was not aware of how to do it, Montes said for the father.
more here
http://www.journaltimes.com/news/local/article_68acc112-2f16-11df-aff3-001cc4c03286.html
:rose: RIP, Jovani :rose:
I'm sorry no one protected you -- not even your dad.
POSTED: 6:15 pm CDT March 15, 2010
RACINE, Wis. -- A 40-year-old Racine man is accused of killing a 2-year-old boy, punching him because he was spilling his milk.
Manuel Garcia made an appearance in Racine County Court on Monday.
Investigators said Garcia lost his temper with his girlfriend's son, punching him numerous times in the abdomen on Thursday, killing him.
Family members said Jovani Martinez died early Friday at a Racine hospital, just hours after Garcia and his mother, Lawanda Martinez, 25, brought him in.
Police later interviewed Garcia at his Racine home, and according to the criminal complaint, he admitted punching the boy at least three times because the child was quote "frustrating him" and spilling his milk.
.............................
Martinez is charged with child neglect resulting in death. Prosecutors said she largely ignored the boy's injuries and symptoms until it was too late.
"He was dizzy, he wasn't responding to nothing. I kept telling her to take him to the hospital," Martinez's mother, Wanda Williams, said.
Williams with Martinez and the child before he died. She said that although she doesn't blame her for his death, she agrees Martinez should've taken him to the hospital right away.
She said she's upset and disappointed.
"Yes I am, because she should've listened to me and took him to the hospital. She should've took him to the hospital like I asked her to do. But, she did not do, she did not do it," Williams said.
The boy's father was not in court on Monday. Earlier, he told the Racine Journal Times he had seen signs of abuse with the child, but didn't know how to report it.
http://www.wisn.com/news/22848485/detail.html
=====================================
A Racine couple is now charged in a deadly case of child abuse.
According to a criminal complaint filed Monday afternoon, 2-year-old Jovani Martinez was killed over spilled milk. His mother and her boyfriend are in the Racine County Jail charged in connection with his beating death.
The medical examiner found that 2-year-old Jovani Martinez died from perforated intestines, a lacerated liver and pancreas, and broken ribs.
40-year-old Manuel Garcia is charged with inflicting the fatal injuries.
According to the criminal complaint, Martinez admitted punching and throwing Jovani several times while babysitting him Thursday afternoon.
Martinez said he didn't mean to, but got angry because the toddler kept shaking his bottle and getting milk on his newborn sister.
video here
http://www.cbs58.com/index.php?aid=11522
=====================================
<snip>
In the young boy's death, Manuel Garcia, 40, the mother's live-in fiance or boyfriend, was arrested Friday. He is charged with first-degree reckless homicide in the death of Jovani Martinez, age 26 months.
Police said Garcia and the mother, Lawanda Martinez, both of 1918 Grange Ave., brought the unconscious boy to Wheaton Franciscan-All Saints hospital, 3801 Spring St., at about 12:30 a.m. Friday. The boy was pronounced dead about two hours later.
The Waukesha County Medical Examiner's Office, which handles autopsies for Racine County, determined that Jovani died of blunt force trauma injuries.
.............................................
Jovani Martinez's father, Octavio Martinez, alleged Saturday that he saw signs of abuse of his son while the boy lived with Lawanda Martinez and Garcia.
Octavio, who was estranged from Lawanda, said they had two children together. By legal arrangement, Jovani lived with his mother, and their daughter, 3, lived with Octavio, a drywall laborer.
With his future sister-in-law, Martha Montes, acting as interpreter, Octavio said he had weekly visitation rights to see Jovani.
"There were times when he went to pick him up, and he would have bruises on his face," Montes said for Octavio, 31. "He would ask Mom about it, and she wouldn't give a reason."
Octavio said he often did not exercise visitation at those times because he was afraid Lawanda would try to blame him for the injuries - as she had in the past, the father said.
But once, Octavio said, he did pick up the boy when he had a large bump on his head and took him home and put medication on it.
Octavio never reported the injuries to authorities because he was not aware of how to do it, Montes said for the father.
more here
http://www.journaltimes.com/news/local/article_68acc112-2f16-11df-aff3-001cc4c03286.html
:rose: RIP, Jovani :rose:
I'm sorry no one protected you -- not even your dad.