Parents are convicted of abusing their infant daughter to the point of death
Suffering marked the short life of Savannah Lucero, who never lived to see her first birthday.
When she was found dead in 2013, the 4-month-old was malnourished, with skull fractures, broken ribs and bruised lungs.
Her liver was lacerated and she had several brain injuries, prosecutors said.
On Thursday, her parents were convicted of child abuse, and the baby’s mother, Ashley Debra Jones, was convicted of second-degree murder, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.
Jones and the child’s father, Johnathan Lucero, both 26, were also found to have permitted their daughter to be injured and harmed to the point that it resulted in her death, prosecutors said.
Both parents were found guilty by Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Raul A. Sahagun, who oversaw the couple’s bench trial.
A family member called 911 on the morning of Dec. 31, 2013, after Savannah was found unresponsive, prosecutors said. At the time, the couple and their daughter were living in an apartment with Lucero’s family.
Paramedics rushed the baby to a hospital, but she was pronounced dead. The coroner’s office determined that she died of blunt force trauma.
The baby’s body showed evidence of abuse, and Downey police arrested the couple the day after Savannah was found dead.
Jones faces 15 years to life in state prison. Lucero faces up to 10 years in prison.
Both are expected to appear in a Norwalk courtroom Nov. 15 for sentencing.
Twitter: @MattHjourno.
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