Mom, stepdad face prison for death of boy, 7
The mother and stepfather of 7-yearold Fabian Maldonado-cortez will each spend six to nine years in prison for the boy's death, which a Franklin County coroner's report states was the result of extensive blunt force injuries and burns.
Oneida Maldonado-cortez, 27, and Jose Emanuel Santos-perez, 39, are likely the only people who know what happened the night of Fabian's death in May 2020. According to prosecutors, the North Linden couple give conflicting accounts of the night.
Daniel L. Meyer, the senior Franklin County prosecutor on both cases, said giving plea deals to both for involuntary manslaughter accomplished the state's goal to get a conviction without risking losing a trial.
Franklin County Common Pleas Judge Michael Holbrook on Wednesday sentenced Fabian's mother, 27-year-old Oneida Maldonado-cortez, to six to nine years in prison for involuntary manslaughter, a first-degree felony.
Maldonado-cortez previously pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter as part of a plea deal in which Franklin County prosecutors dropped charges of felonious assault and endangering children.
It's similar to the plea deal Santos-perez received from Franklin County prosecutors. Santos-perez pleaded guilty to one count of involuntary manslaughter. In exchange, the Franklin County prosecutor's office dropped charges of murder, felonious assault and three counts of endangering children.
On June 17, Judge Holbrook sentenced Santos-perez to the same sentence Maldonado-cortez received: six to nine years in prison.
On the night of Fabian's death, police were dispatched to the family's residence on a call about a child drowning in the bathtub. Officers observed that Fabian had dozens of open wounds, including large portions of skin missing, Franklin County Assistant Prosecutor Dexter D. Dorsey said. Officers attempted to perform CPR but Fabian was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead, Dorsey said.
Santos-perez told authorities he witnessed Maldonado-cortez beat Fabian on multiple occasions but felt it was not his role to intervene.
According to prosecutors, Maldonado-cortez initially told authorities she was responsible for the beating and later changed her story, saying Santos-perez was responsible. William S. Ireland, defense attorney for Maldonado-cortez, said she was abused by Santos-perez, who also abused Fabian, leading to his the boy's death.
During her sentencing, Maldonadocortez, a Spanish speaker, read through tears from a statement she wrote in English.
"The person who did it should pay for it. That's why I'm saying unfair," she said. "I was expecting more time for him (Santos-perez) … I was physically, emotional, mentally abused and manipulated. I was not myself anymore … I miss my boy so bad, so much. I miss him so so much."
Judge Holbrook said he felt the sentence jointly recommended for Maldonado-cortez by prosecutors and the defense was too low, but said he understood a lot of work was put into reaching this deal.
"Children are precious," Holbrook said.
Holbrook told Maldonado-cortez and Santos-perez at their respective sentencings not to apply for early judicial release because if he's still on the bench, he will not grant it.
Jordan Laird is a criminal justice reporter at the Columbus Dispatch. You can reach her at jlaird@dispatch.com. You can follow her on Twitter at @Lairdwrites.