How Could You? Hall of Shame- Melody Velasquez case- Child Death UPDATED

This will be an archive of heinous actions by those involved in child welfare, foster care and adoption. We forewarn you that these are deeply disturbing stories that may involve sex abuse, murder, kidnapping and other horrendous actions.

From San Antonio, Texas, adoptive parents Norberto Velasquez, 49 and  Matthew Oscar Aranda,48, were arrested 5 years ago in the death of their daughter Melody Velasquez . She died on January 10, 2009.

Norberto “entered a not guilty plea Tuesday to causing serious bodily injury to the child by omission” and he could face ” up to life in prison if jurors in the 144th state District Court find him guilty of the first-degree felony. ”

“His partner, Matthew Oscar Aranda, 48, has been charged with murder for the death of Melody Velasquez. That case is still pending.”[2/28/13]

““Melody was only four months old when placed in his home,” he said, explaining she had been taken from her biological parents by Child Protective Services after allegations of abuse and neglect surfaced. “So in the very real sense, he was the only father, and this was the only home that young Melody knew in her three years.”

Defense attorneys declined to immediately give an opening statement but will have another opportunity to do so after prosecutors rest.

Paramedic Dennis McNabb, who was among the first to arrive at the far West Side home, testified Tuesday that the couple told him the injury had happened about 30 hours earlier. The girl hadn’t been herself — fever, lack of appetite, lethargic and sleeping more than usual — since the injury, paramedics recalled the men saying.

“She was lying in the center of the bed with a large hematoma and contusion to the middle of her forehead,” McNabb said. “There was purple and green bruising around it … In proportion to her head, it was very large. It was not something you would miss.”

The men told police she fell down the stairs.

McNabb said the girl wasn’t breathing and had no pulse when they arrived. He said blood was coming out of her mouth, nose and ears as they performed chest compressions.

She died at the hospital.

Aranda and Velasquez already were caring for three other children when they adopted Melody. The girl’s death prompted CPS to remove those children from the home, too.

Mary Walker, spokeswoman for CPS, said at the time that the couple hadn’t been previously investigated for allegations of abuse or neglect. They had passed extensive background tests to be eligible to adopt and foster children, she said.”

Trial begins in death of 3-year-old girl[My San Antonio 10/29/13 By Michelle Casady]

“It took jurors just three hours Friday to find Norberto Velasquez guilty for his role in the 2009 death of his 3-year-old adopted daughter, and six more hours to decide that he should receive probation.

The serious bodily injury to a child by omission conviction could have resulted in a sentence of up to life in prison.

Velasquez, 49, was not in court as the punishment verdict was read by state District Judge Angus McGinty late Friday.

In the hours between the guilty verdict and the probation announcement, McGinty had ordered Velasquez taken into custody without bond. But paramedics transferred him from his courthouse holding cell to a downtown hospital — where he remained under guard — after he claimed to be having a medical emergency.

Jurors were not told of the unusual situation.

Velasquez and partner Matthew Oscar Aranda, 48, took Melody in as a foster child after she was removed from her birth parents’ home at 3 months old following allegations of abuse. The couple adopted her in December 2008, but the joy was short-lived.

On Jan. 10, 2009, the girl died of blunt head trauma. Velasquez and Aranda told police she had fallen down the stairs, which caused the fatal brain bleeding. Aranda, who was charged with murder, is still awaiting trial.

Pathologist William Robert Anderson, an expert for the defense, told jurors last week that he believed prior injuries caused by Melody’s biological father when she was an infant could have weakened the blood vessels in her brain. As a result, a fall that would be considered minor for other children could have seriously injured her, he testified.

“We have a situation where prior trauma created a situation where this child was more prone to suffer a bleed from a lesser impact,” he said.

“That’s significant, because if you haven’t warned the parents that there’s an old subdural hematoma, then any type of injury could be much more serious than it appears,” Anderson continued. “It would be like not telling a foster parent a child has hemophilia.”

Prosecutors Jan Ischy and Daryl Harris argued that regardless of her pre-existing medical conditions, there was no excuse for Velasquez to wait about 30 hours before calling 911.

“He decided not to seek medical attention for his baby until his baby stopped breathing,” Ischy told jurors during closing arguments. “That is seriously, by omission, causing injury, and in this case, death.”

Jury order probation in child death case[My San Antonio 11/8/13 By Michelle Casady]

REFORM Puzzle Piece

Update: “Closing arguments are set in the trial of a man accused of killing his daughter. Back in 2009, Matthew Aranda and his partner, Norberto Velasquez were arrested. The pair was charged in connection to 3-year-old Melody Velasquez’s death. The couple claims the girl fell down the stairs. However, authorities say the girl died from blunt force trauma. Her death was ruled a homicide. A family friend says Melody was a happy, clumsy child who was always getting hurt. Velasquez unexpectedly died before he was sentenced. If found guilty, Aranda is facing up to life in prison. ”