GUILTY CA - Damian Negrete, 2, beaten to death, Lucerne Valley, 16 Feb 2012

A 20-year-old Lucerne Valley man was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison Friday for beating his girlfriend’s 2-year-old son to death in front of her other children...

Negrete’s daughter, now 8, told investigators what she saw. “When she returned from school, the victim’s face was bruised like he had been beaten up,” according to Vazquez’s probation officer’s report. “While they were eating dinner, the defendant found the victim’s diaper was wet and began punching him in the stomach multiple times and kicked him in his private area. The victim couldn’t breath and, while he was lying on the floor, the defendant began stepping, kicking and punching the victim in the chest”...

Vazquez accepted the prosecution’s offer and pleaded guilty in August to assault on a child causing death.

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