23-year-old father snapped because his premature twins wouldn’t stop crying throughout the night so he violently shook and beat the babies to death; sentenced
Texas – In a deeply disturbing case out of Texas, a 23-year-old father, identified as F. Vega, has been sentenced to 40 years in prison for the violent deaths of his 1-month-old twins, who were found malnourished, dehydrated, and severely injured after a night of crying that turned deadly.
Vega pleaded guilty to injury to a child with serious bodily injury in connection to the deaths of his prematurely born son and daughter, in October 2023. According to authorities, Vega lost control when the infants wouldn’t stop crying and violently shook and beat them, causing fatal injuries. The babies’ mother, identified as 23-year-old A. Calderon, is facing the same charge and is scheduled to appear in court on March 5.
The arrest affidavit outlines the events that unfolded the night of October 3 to 4. Calderon reportedly went to bed shortly after midnight, while Vega stayed up to care for the twins. He told police the babies were crying throughout the night and that he put them down to sleep around 6 a.m.
Calderon later told investigators she saw the twins sleeping when she woke up at 8 a.m., and Vega dropped her off at work by 10:30 a.m., leaving the babies with their grandmother. Less than an hour later, Vega called Calderon in a panic, saying, “They are not waking up. They’re not doing nothing.” Calderon immediately called 911. When first responders arrived, they didn’t see any obvious signs of trauma. However, autopsies later revealed the disturbing truth: both infants were severely malnourished, dehydrated, and had suffered multiple blunt force injuries. Doctors also noted the babies hadn’t been taken to a single medical checkup since birth, despite being born prematurely.
The medical examiner found that both children had endured physical abuse on three separate occasions. One of the twins had fractures to the femur, multiple broken ribs, and bruises on the forehead, torso, arms, and feet. The other had similar bruising, as well as head trauma and a broken clavicle. Many of the injuries were in different stages of healing, showing that the abuse wasn’t a one-time incident—it had happened over time. Authorities say neither Vega nor Calderon sought medical help, even as the babies’ health deteriorated. The deaths were ruled homicides, and police concluded that both parents had failed to provide even basic care.
Vega’s guilty plea and 40-year sentence conclude one part of a case that revealed serious neglect and violence in a home where two vulnerable infants depended entirely on the adults around them. Calderon’s legal case is still pending, but investigators allege that both parents played a role in the ongoing mistreatment that led to the twins’ deaths. The case has sparked renewed discussions around how early warning signs of neglect and abuse can be missed—and how to better protect children, especially those born into already fragile situations. Two lives were lost before they even had a chance to begin, and the man who was supposed to comfort and care for them instead responded with brutality.
