SAN ANTONIO — The trial began Monday for a Bexar County man accused of starving his young boy and forcing him to beg for food, three years after the 4-year-old died at a hospital.
Brandon Lee Cervera wasn't arrested until months later, in February 2022, when investigators looked into the death of young Benjamin Cervera after he was brought to a San Antoni children's hospital. Authorities said the boy appeared to be severely malnourished and underweight, with several bruises in various states of his healing on his body.
According to documents, videos were seized from the phone belonging to Benjamin's stepmother, Miranda Casarez, that showed the child shaking, crying and begging for bread. Another video showed him being forced to eat breadcrumbs off the floor.
The footage, along with additional photos, showed the boy's condition deteriorating before his death, records said. Brandon Cervera would go on to be indicted in May 2022 on child injury charges.
Casarez was already found guilty and sentenced to 25 years in prison earlier this year. She faced up to life in prison.