Twin baby sisters, just five weeks old, have been beaten and starved to death. Their 21-year-old parents, Angelina Belinda Calderon and Fernando Vega, have now been charged over the deaths of their six-week-old twin daughters.
The infants’ names have not been shared, but their photos have been released.
on October 4 and found the babies unresponsive.
Vega told police he had dropped Calderon off at work and then came home to find the twins not breathing.
However, the autopsy determined the children died from multiple injuries caused by a blunt object, reported KTRK.
“The allegations are alleged to be horrific,” Assistant District Attorney Appelbaum told KPRC. “These two children were about six weeks old and appeared to suffer blunt force injuries, severely malnourished and old and new and new injuries on both of the children.”
Appelbaum added, “Quite alarming and as I say it kind of goes to the fact that these injuries and the fact that they were malnourished are things a reasonable caregiver should have been aware of and that’s why they are charged with that omission part.”
Vega told police the twins were “fussy” throughout the night, and he put them in a bassinet.
Calderon did not wake the babies up in the morning because she was heading to work, according to court documents.
Police said the infants were found on the couch with discolored skin, multiple bruises and contusions, and one of the girls had fractures.
The babies were born prematurely but had not received medical care since being released from the hospital, court documents said.
Dr. Jesus Rico, a pathologist at the Harris County Institute of Forensic Science, conducted the autopsy and found several injuries on one of the infants including dehydration, contusions on various body parts and fractures indicating previous abuse.
Both twins were found to be malnourished, one showed evidence of acute brain bleeding, and the other suffered hemorrhaging of the brain and spinal cord, indicative of recent trauma, reported KPRC.
Calderon and Vega were charged with causing seriously bodily injury to a child and are both being held at the Harris County Jail on $750,000 bond.
Vega’s defense attorney Mario Madrid said, “He seemed to be in shock, the moment was big for him and with the court I found him to be very respectful. But at the same time, he seemed to be a little scared obviously with the charges he’s being faced with.”
Vega has a court hearing scheduled for May 29, and Calderon’s next court appearance is scheduled for Friday.
Calderon’s sister told the local news station, “she’s one of the best mothers that I know,” and insisted her sister was at work the day the children died.
However, Calderon had an emotional outburst during an initial probable cause court hearing, reported KTRK. “You were the last one with my kids when they f*****g died. You’re making me look like I’m a bad person. I was at work when they f*****g died,” Calderon said.
Calderon’s aunt, Sarah Calderon, told the local news stations both parents need to be held accountable for their actions. “I’m just really disappointed, it hurts – it really does break my heart. They need to both be held accountable,” she said. “Because, OK, even if I don’t think she would physically harm them, like the babies weren’t even taken care of.”
