Man Charged in Killing of Girlfriend’s Son, 8
A man was charged with murder Thursday in the strangulation of his girlfriend’s 8-year-old son, whose body was found at a construction site where the defendant worked, prosecutors said. Manuel DeJesus Morales, 25, was charged with murder in the death of Carlos Alberto Pineda, 8, who disappeared July 7 while in Morales’ care, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Marcia Clark. Pineda was the son of Morales’ girlfriend, Adela Pineda, 35, of Los Angeles.
Morales was charged July 13 with child stealing. That charge, coupled with the murder count, means Clark could ask a jury to sentence Morales to death or life in prison without parole if he is convicted of the crime.
Pineda’s body was found July 13 at the site of an apartment under construction at Muirfield Road and Edgewood Place.
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