Leticia Bravo pleaded guilty to the charges for the starvation death of her stepson, a 7-year-old boy who was officially under her care in Newburgh (NY).
Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler confirmed to News 15 that Bravo had pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter for the death of minor Peter Cuacuas.
Bravo was the minor’s father’s girlfriend and his main caregiver. She was accused of starving the boy and locking him in a room in the days before his death in February 933.
The sentence is set for the 21 of June. The District Attorney are asking for Bravo years in state prison. The minor’s father, Arturo Cuacuas, was accused of turning a blind eye to the abuse. He pleaded guilty to criminally negligent homicide and is also awaiting sentencing.
According to Hoovler, the child only weighed 37 pounds (16.7 kilos) when her body was discovered. At the time he was enrolled in online learning in Newburgh because of the pandemic and had stopped connecting to school weeks before he died. Therefore he says that the prosecution thathttps: //twitter.com/PokJournal/status/ 1493542117800615940 the situation tragically went unnoticed.
“Another aspect of this case that is so difficult to handle is that Peter would be alive today if we didn’t have COVID, if we didn’t have the situations that we had with online learning. There is a system that would have detected this case, and he would be here today, “said the prosecutor.
Additionally, Jose Cuacuas, the boy’s half brother, is bringing a wrongful death case against the Newburgh Schools.
In a similar case, this week the case of an 8-year-old autistic boy who died weighing only 16 pounds last June in the Bronx. But no arrests have been announced.
Last year several cases of children killed by alleged domestic violence were reported in New York. If you are a victim or suspect that someone is being mistreated, especially if they are a minor or elderly:
- Call 911 or 1. 550.NYCWELL (1.911.692.9355).
- Check information at https://nycwell.cityofnewyork.us/es/
- Text “WELL” to 65173.