A Hattiesburg man will spend the rest of his life in prison after he was sentenced for felony child abuse and aggravated domestic violence.
Luis Miguel Garcia-Lebron, 29, was given a life sentence plus 20 years for the crimes, Forrest-Perry County District Attorney Lin Carter said in a news release.
"Luis Miguel Garcia-Lebron is a violent criminal that physically tortured both a 5-year-old boy and the young boy's mother," he said in a news release. "Today's sentence of life plus 20 years by the court takes into account the heinous acts committed by Garcia-Lebron."
The victims were Garcia-Lebron's then-girlfriend, 24-year-old Alesha Lugo, and one of her sons.
The incident for which Garcia-Lebron was charged occurred on Jan. 15, 2019. Hattiesburg police responded to a call about a woman and child with injuries.
Through the investigation, it was determined the boy had been tortured by Garcia-Lebron, who beat the child and cut his upper lip with pliers. Lugo was attacked with multiple objects and strangled by Garcia-Lebron.
The boy received medical care at Forrest General Hospital, then was transported to Batson Children's Hospital in Jackson for additional treatment.
The 5-year-old victim and his 7-year-old brother were forensically interviewed by Kids Hub Child Advocacy Center, where staff learned Garcia-Lebron was the perpetrator of the abuse.
Both boys and their mother were able to testify against Garcia-Lebron at his trial.
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