Photo: San Diego County Sheriff’s Department
An 11-year-old girl who died after suffering child abuse and malnourishment weighed 48 pounds, court documents reveal.
Her mother, Leticia, 49, and Aarabella’s maternal grandfather, Stanley Tom, 75, have been charged with murder. Leticia and Tom, along with Aarabella’s maternal grandmother, Adella Tom, 70, have also been charged with child abuse and torture.
Aarabella’s two younger sisters were also malnourished, Pro said, alleging that all three girls were physically abused and hit with sticks and paddles, the publication reported.
She said Leticia was the “ringleader” in abusing the girls, while Brian and her parents “all worked together to starve” the victims and “physically abused them with paddles and sticks,” CBS 8 reported. Pro said the girls couldn’t have friends over and were barred from using the bathroom.
Messages between her foster parents show that Brian believed Aarabella “was starving to death and he believed she was going to die,” Pro added, per the CBS affiliate.
Along with allegedly suffering malnutrition, Aarabella was recovering from 15 bone fractures that Pro said occurred just months before she died.
The three defendants could face life terms if convicted, CBS 8 reported.
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Gregory Garrison, defense attorney for Leticia, said she should begranted bailbecause she “has no prior arrests,” according to NBC San Diego. “No prior convictions, and there is no evidence – let me say it again, there is no evidence to support an argument that she poses a danger to the public.”
Adella’s public defender Randy Wagner added of his client, per NBC San Diego, “She, I think more so, does not represent a danger to the community. She’s 70 years old. She’s frail. She hasn’t driven a car in three years.”
Judge Kathleen Lewis ultimately denied bail for Leticia and Adella, according to NBC San Diego.
Attorneys for Leticia and Adella did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
It’s not clear who is representing Stanley and can comment on his behalf.
In a statement to NBC San Diego, the church confirmed it is in the process of severing ties with Leticia.
The 11-year-old was rushed to a hospital, where she died. Aarabella was covered in bruises and had suffered “severe levels of malnourishment,” a police spokesperson toldThe San Diego Union-Tribune.
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
source: people.com
