ADAMS COUNTY, Colo. – A man faces murder and child abuse charges after his arrest in the Sunday death of his 5-year-old stepson.
Barney David Savedra, 30, was charged by prosecutors Wednesday in Adams County District Court with one count of first-degree murder by a person in a position of trust and one count of child abuse resulting in death.
Law enforcement officers were called out to an apartment in the 6400 block of Tennyson Street in Arvada on Sunday, where they found 5-year-old Malachi Perkins unresponsive. The boy was taken to Denver Health Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
An autopsy for the boy found he’d suffered a lacerated spleen, broken ribs, lacerated lungs and a ruptured liver from the alleged abuse. Prosecutors say Savedra was taking care of the boy while his mother worked.
Savedra is next due in court May 11 for a preliminary hearing. Court records show he is being held without bond pending that next hearing.