The teenage cousin of a two-year-old was hit with several charges of murder and sexual assault after the toddler with whom he was in foster care was found unresponsive on Easter Sunday.
The 17-year-old cousin of toddler Jaxon Juarez was charged on Monday after sexually assaulting his foster brother multiple times, said the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office.
In addition to murder, the teen, who has turned 18 since the murder, faces nine other felonies, including child assault causing death and ‘assault with a hair tie.’
District Attorney Jeff Rosen said in a news conference on Monday that baby Jaxon was found with a hair tie wrapped around his neck.
His office added that when officials first responded, the toddler’s body was brutally bruised and battered.
Emergency responders performed life-saving measures and transported baby Jaxon to the hospital in critical condition, according to the San Jose Police Department.
At the hospital, several suspicious traumatic injuries were discovered, and he was placed on life support.
Officials tracked down the toddler’s cousin in San Jose, who was arrested on April 8 and was booked into the Santa Clara County Juvenile Hall.
Jaxon Juarez, 2, was pronounced dead on April 9 after first responders found him in critical condition with a hair tire around his neck
The District Attorney’s Office noted that evidence showed that the cousin had allegedly repeatedly assaulted, sexually and physically, Jaxon since the boy was placed in the foster family home in February.
The following day, Jaxon succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead at the hospital.
‘Today, we sadly add the name of Baby Jaxon alongside Baby Phoenix and others on a list of children whose short lives have been snuffed out through cruelty and recklessness,’ said Rosen.
‘We are left with broken hearts and serious questions about who was watching out for the safety of these extremely vulnerable children. Jaxon will never have a chance at life. Jaxon will never have any way to tell his own story. My Office will speak for him and all the lost children as we seek justice.’
The District Attorney’s Office is urging that the cousin be charged as an adult so he can possibly face a much harsher sentence.
Jaxon’s cousin, who was 17 years old at the time of the atrocity allegedly abusing the toddler sexually and physically since February
District Attorney Jeff Rosen supports charging the teen as an adult. ‘If his petition is found true in juvenile court, he could face seven years in Secure Track, a locked facility for juveniles who have been adjudicated of serious crimes,’ his office said in a statement
‘If his petition is found true in juvenile court, he could face seven years in Secure Track, a locked facility for juveniles who have been adjudicated of serious crimes,’ reads the press release.
‘If the case is sent to adult court by a judge, he could face many years in prison.’
According to ABC 7, the toddler’s foster parent was his cousin’s mother, who had previously been convicted of felony child endangerment in 2014.
Officials from SPD also added that his caregiver was arrested after allegedly not cooperating with the investigation but was released later.
Jaxon’s death remains under investigation.
