Sentenced: Miguel Gonzalez Says His Girlfriend's Child Caused Their Severe Burns

[Sugar Cookie]

Miguel Gonzalez, 28, was arrested in 2022 after his girlfriend’s child suffered severe burns while Gonzalez was giving the child a bath. Lufkin police investigators determined the nature of the child’s injuries was consistent with known cases of immersion abuse. They noted the lack of burn injuries on the child’s upper torso and above, as well as the absence of burns that would have occurred from splashing if the child had been left unattended.

The trauma specialist from Woodland Heights Medical Center told the court she believed the burns were intentionally inflicted on the child and called the burns “one of the worst I’ve seen, almost appearing melted.” Defense attorneys claimed a seizure could explain why there were no splashing wounds on the child.

A police officer who responded to the scene also testified, describing what happened when authorities arrived. The court also watched body camera footage and listened to audio from the incident.

Gonzalez was arrested at the scene on an unrelated warrant and was noted to be defensive, getting into verbal altercations with the child’s grandmother.

According to arrest documents, Gonzalez told investigators he was giving the child a bath while the child’s mother was at work. Gonzalez said he put the child in lukewarm water and walked away “within earshot of the bathroom for 2 minutes” to talk to his roommate in the adjacent hallway. He said when he returned to check on the child, the child had turned on the hot water, resulting in burns so severe the skin began peeling off.


Investigators concluded that, given the child’s age, there was little chance the child would not have screamed in pain or attempted to get out of the bathtub.

MSN

 

[Aedia]

Absolutely evil! I hate these burn stories, they always just hit different.
And of course he had to have done it! Any child would have splashed from the pain. The only way there wouldn't be signs of that is if he had a hold of the child in a way where their little arms couldn't reach the water - possibly under the arm pits.
Hope the inmates hear about what he did and serve some deserved justice that the courts can't.

 

[Danaf]

View attachment 194953

MSN

Son of a bitch! Fucking weirdo! Starving and burning are two of the top sickest things you can do I can see that poor baby trying to get away from "it"! Kill it!!

 

[cubby]

The starving and burning are so much more planned and deliberate, you gotta run the super hot water and then strip the baby down and then hold them in the tub, a big enough kid would have gotten out, so he had to hold them in. He needs to be chained to the wall and hit with scalding water out of a fire hose and don't stop until he's burned to the bone.

 

[Sugar Cookie]

A Texas man will spend several decades behind bars after severely burning a toddler girl with scalding water in a bathtub.

In January, after a four-day bench trial, a judge found Miguel Santiago Gonzalez, 28, guilty of intentionally and knowingly causing serious bodily injury to the 20-month-old victim.

On Thursday, 159th District Court Judge Todd Kassaw sentenced the defendant to life in prison – the highest possible punishment for such a conviction in the Lone Star State.

"Gonzalez sentenced an innocent child to a life of ongoing pain filled with surgeries and uncertainty about what the future holds," Angelina County District Attorney Amy Wren said in a statement provided to The Lufkin Daily News. "The sentence handed down by Judge Kassaw reflects the severity of the actions perpetrated by Gonzalez and acknowledges the suffering of the child and the child's family."

Gonzalez will have to serve 30 years before he is eligible for parole.

Man immersed toddler in bathtub of hot water and gave her horrific burns

The little girl suffered burn marks over more than half of her body, has scars that will last her whole life, and has undergone myriad surgeries.

lawandcrime.com