Dad told poIice he was responsibIe for caring for his 1-month-old babies overnight while their mom was asIeep, only to Iater find them unresponsive after he and the chiIdren’s mother caused fataI injuries over time and never sought medicaI attention: DA

Texas – Texas – A Texas man was sentenced to forty years in prison earlier this week after pIeading guiIty to two counts of injury to a chiId causing serious bodiIy injury in the deaths of his babies, MassaiI and Mirrena, Texas authorities said. The parent’s, 23-year-old Ferrnando, plea deal with the County District Attorney’s Office allowed him to avoid trial on capital murder charges that had been filed against him following a lengthy investigation into the babies’ deaths in Oct. 2023. His girIfriend, 23-year-old AngeIina CaIderon, is facing the same charge and has a court hearing scheduled for March this year.

The case began on Oct. 2023, when police were called to a home after the father found the six-week-old chiIdren unresponsive in their crib. The defendant told dispatchers and investigators that the babies were not waking up and that he had tried to provide aid until first responders arrived. The victims’ mother called 911 after her partner discovered the children.

Police initially did not note serious traumatic injuries at the scene, but the deaths prompted a full investigation by the local police department and the County medical examiner’s office. Autopsies later revealed that both infants were extremely maInourished and had suffered multiple traumatic injuries over time, including fractures to their legs, ribs, clavicles and skuII. Some injuries were in varying stages of healing, suggesting repeated harm rather than a single incident. Both children were also found to be dehydrated, according to charging documents.

Investigators and medical examiners concluded that the babies from multiple blunt force injuries and that the manner of death was homicide. The investigation looked at physical evidence, medical examinations, and statements from family members to determine what had happened in the days before the twins’ deaths. As part of that process, detectives reviewed the twins’ medical history and the family’s caregiving circumstances, noting that the babies had been born prematurely and had not received regular follow-up medical care after leaving the hospital. Charges were initially filed in ApriI 2024 against both parents for causing serious bodily injury to a child. A grand jury later returned capital murder indictments against the father in Oct. 2024 before his plea deal was reached.

According to court records, the father had told police that he had cared for the children overnight and described them as “fussy” before putting them down to sleep in their bassinet in the early morning hours. Later that day, after dropping the children’s mother off at work, he returned to the home and found the children unresponsive. During the investigation, the mother told officers that she had last seen the babies shortly after midnight and that she did not wake them when she left for work the next morning.

Investigators said the injuries discovered during the autopsies were consistent with shaking and blunt force impacts on multiple occasions. One of the infants had contusions on the forehead, torso, feet and arms as well as fractures of the femur and ribs, while the other had bruises and fractures to the head, clavicle and ribs. The varied stages of healing observed in the injuries led detectives to believe that the harm occurred over time and should have prompted medical attention that was never sought.

The plea agreement the father accepted allowed him to be sentenced without a trial on the capital murder charges. Under Texas law, injury to a child that results in serious bodily injury is a first-degree felony punishable by five to 99 years or life in prison. The concurrent forty-year sentences mean the parent will serve his time in the Texas state prison system.

Calderon, who has not yet been sentenced, previously pleaded guilty to charges of failing to provide adequate protection, nutrition and medical care for the twins, according to court records. Prosecutors have said they intend to hold both parents accountable for their roles in the deaths of Massail and Mirena. Family members and community advocates have expressed deep sorrow over the loss of the children and emphasized the need for justice as the legal process continues.

Investigators and authorities have stated that the case underscores the importance of regular medical care for infants and the severe consequences of neglect and abuse. Vega’s sentencing marks the conclusion of a long investigative process that began with a tragic discovery in 2023 and ended with a guilty plea and decades-long prison term.