Mother knowingly put minor son in deadly situation before he was brutally beaten and killed by her boyfriend while he was babysitting the boy, then claimed the boy had fallen backwards; pleads guilty

A man was sentenced to life in prison for killing his roommate’s minor child while he was taking care of him in an incident that took place in 2019 after pleading guilty last year to intentional child abuse resulting in death. The mother of the victim, identified as Krista, is now facing several decades in prison for the same incident because she knowingly put her minor son in a deadly situation when she decided to leave him with her roommate, who, reportedly, was also her boyfriend. She pleaded guilty last month for her involvement in the case.

According to court documents, Krista’s son, James, was only 4 years old when this fatal incident happened a few years ago. James was in the care of Zerrick, Krista’s roommate but also a boyfriend, when he was “severely beaten and did not survive his injuries.” The main suspect has pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life, but prosecutors decided to pursue the truth in this case, and their findings are unimaginable.

Investigators have learned that James had been severely and continuously abu*ed by Zerrick in the months leading to the boy’s death. During this period, the mother knew what was happening but decided not to take any action to protect her only child. The N.M. assistant district attorney said in court that this has been “the worst of the worst” cases she has been part of. The mother was initially arrested in 2021, exactly two years after James’ death, and pleaded not guilty.

When the first responders arrived at the scene, they found the victim suffering serious injuries that appeared not to be accidental. Zerrick told the police that the boy fell backwards and struck his head against the wall. He called 911 because the boy was allegedly unresponsive. However, the autopsy report showed serious injuries as a result of months-long constant abu*e. The boy had visible injuries all over the body, but some of his organs were damaged during that period. Prosecutors were visibly disturbed in court.

They managed to find enough evidence to prove that the mother knew about everything. They found this case heartbreaking. It is not understandable how the mother failed to protect her only child and report her roommate’s actions.

Krista will spend a maximum of 22 years behind bars after formally admitting to her role in the horrific death of her 4-year-old son. She pleaded guilty to one count of abandonment of a child under 13 resulting in death, two counts of child abuse, and one count of failure to report abuse in the slaying of young James.

Sentence hearing has not been scheduled yet.