A California couple is accused of abusing, torturing, and murdering their adopted son, who was taken to a hospital “in medical distress” before dying several hours later, according to police.
The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office has arrested Alejandra Marin, 51, and Juan Sanchez Moreno, 59, on felony murder and torture charges, including one count of willfully causing or permitting harm to a child.
The Central Homicide Unit and Special Victims Unit of the department conducted an investigation and arrested the couple on Friday, November 22.
According to an RCSO press release, deputies responded to a call on Nov. 21 about a 10-year-old boy “in medical distress” at a home in the 13000 block of Malibu Court in Moreno Valley. The authorities found the child, transported him to a nearby hospital, and stabilized him.
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The juvenile’s condition deteriorated several hours later, leading the sheriff’s office to declare him dead at the hospital. The Riverside Sheriff’s Central Homicide Unit assumed the investigation based on the circumstances.
Cops report that SVU and the sheriff’s Central Homicide Unit documented visible signs of neglect and abuse in the circumstances. It is unclear how the couple tortured the boy.
The sheriff’s office reported that the joint investigation led to the arrest of the juvenile’s adopted parents, Alejandra Marin, 51, and Juan Sanchez Moreno, 59, for murder, torture, and child abuse.
The Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside held the couple without bail on Sunday, according to jail records. Tuesday is Marin’s scheduled court appearance, but the public has not yet access to Moreno’s case files.
