The parents of a Nevada baby who starved to death, even though the family’s fridge was filled with food, will serve time behind bars after being sentenced this week, KLAS-TV reports.
On Thursday, a judge ordered 35-year-old Anthony Oceja and 30-year-old Loreana Martinez to spend 10-25 years in prison in connection with the death of their 5-month-old son, Hannibal.
The boy died in 2018 after going into cardiac arrest weighing just five pounds, less than when he was born. The average weight of a child the same age is about 15-20 pounds.
Hannibal’s “bones could easily be seen, his spinal cord appeared as if it was about to poke out of his skin and his rib cage could easily be seen,” police said in an arrest report, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Both parents had initially been charged with open murder and child abuse or neglect, but they later pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and child abuse resulting in substantial bodily or mental harm, and Oceja pleaded guilty to cruelty to animals.
Martinez took the plea deal to avert a trial; Oceja went to trial and was convicted but later also took a deal, according to KLAS-TV.
Prosecutors argued that Martinez should get less time than Oceja because she acknowledged her guilt instead of demanding a trial. However, Clark County District Court Judge Tierra Jones said it would be improper to punish Oceja for exercising his legal right to a jury.
Oceja told the court that he sought a jury trial to assert his innocence.
“I went to trial to prove innocence. You know, I love my kids,” Oceja told the court, according to DailyMail. “I miss my son every day. I mourn his death. I celebrate his birthday. No matter what they say. I love my son.”
Both Oceja and Martinez will receive credit for time served.
Martinez called 911 on February 25, 2018, upon finding Hannibal unresponsive. A doctor testified that it was too difficult to insert an IV into a vein because the baby was so dehydrated. Instead, the needled was inserted into a bone.
Photos of the family’s kitchen at the time showed plentiful availability of food, according to KLAS-TV.
The couple have two older children. Medical professionals described an older daughter as emaciated and was diagnosed with failure to thrive. The son was malnourished and dehydrated. Both were described as “socially delayed.”
Martinez alleged that she suffered from postpartum depression after the birth of her first child and stopped taking medication after less than one week.
Diana Jackson, Oceja’s sister, adopted the couple’s older children and told the court they are now doing well.
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[Feature Photos via Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department]
