HOUSTON — A Houston man will spend up to 55 years behind bars for beating his 3-year-old nephew to death in January 2020, the Harris County District Attorney's Office announced Friday.
Melvin O. Morales-Gomez, 31, was convicted of murder for killing 3-year-old Kevin Ramirez-Lara. The DA's office said the child had been staying with Morales-Gomez and his wife when the boy's mother moved to Mexico to live with her boyfriend.
"No child should ever be treated like this little boy was, and this child abuser absolutely deserves to spend decades, and hopefully the rest of his life, behind bars," District Attorney Kim Ogg said.
Morales-Gomez had taken Ramirez-Lara to a hospital because he was unconscious. His injuries were so severe the hospital had him flown to the Texas Medical Center for treatment at a Level 1 trauma center. That's where they discovered the boy had a broken jaw, broken collarbone, and severe bruising on his body, arm and legs.
The DA's office said Ramirez-Lara died from blunt-force trauma to the head and neck.
Morales-Gomez reportedly told investigators he had grabbed Ramirez-Lara so hard that the child bit his own lip. He said he squeezed the boy tightly before Ramirez-Lara fell unconscious.
An investigation by the Harris County Sheriff's Office also uncovered that Morales-Gomez had beaten the boy's 8-year-old brother, according to the DA's Office.
“We want to thank the jury, who came forward to stand up for this child and be his voice,” prosecutor Edward Appelbaum said. “There were so many others who abandoned him and failed him, but not the jury.”
Morales-Gomez must serve at least half of the sentence before becoming eligible for parole.