GOLDEN, Colo. – A man who had been accused of killing his girlfriend’s 4-year-old son in 2014 pleaded guilty to doing so Friday, and will spend at least 36 years in prison.
Ever Lopez-Calidonio, 27, pleaded guilty Friday to a child abuse resulting in death charge, which carries a prison sentence of between 36 and 48 years.
In October 2014, Lakewood police were called to the home he shared with his girlfriend and her son, and found the boy laying on the pavement outside his mother’s apartment.
The boy’s mother had just left for work, and neighbors had seen Lopez-Calidonio slapping the boy’s chest and called police.
Though Lopez-Calidonio claimed he was trying to help the boy breathe when he was struggling, the boy’s autopsy showed that he had a transected liver and other internal bleeding caused by various injuries.
In addition to the blunt-force injuries to his body, the boy was found to have injuries to his head as well.
In court Friday, Lopez-Calidonio admitted he started beating the boy in the abdomen when the boy soiled himself while Lopez-Calidonio was running late for work.
The First Judicial District Attorney’s Office says detectives found other evidence of prior abuse during the investigation.
Lopez-Calidonio will remain in custody without bond at the Jefferson County jail until he is sentenced on May 22.
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