SANTA ANA : Grand Jury Indicts Woman in Torture of Nephew

A woman accused of sexually assaulting and torturing her 10-year-old nephew was indicted by the Orange County Grand Jury and will be arraigned next week along with her husband, who is also charged with child abuse.

Cynthia Medina, 31, of Orange is accused of using a miniature souvenir baseball bat to sexually abuse her nephew as punishment for touching an ashtray. Medina is also accused of other acts of abuse, such as searing the boy’s tongue with a heated butter knife.

The nephew was so seriously injured by the sexual assault that he required hospitalization and was temporarily fitted with a colostomy bag.

Medina and her 45-year-old husband, Edward, are also accused of abusing their son. Both boys have been removed from the Medinas’ care.

The Medinas will be arraigned in Orange County Superior Court next week, said Supervising Deputy Dist. Atty. Chuck Middleton, who oversees child abuse cases.

Middleton said he asked the grand jury to indict the couple as a way to speed the case along to trial.

People indicted by grand juries lose the right to have a preliminary hearing, at which prosecutors must outline their case against the accused.

The Medinas have pleaded not guilty to the charges. Cynthia Medina claimed she was not mentally competent to stand trial on the sexual assault charges.

But a separate jury, convened to decide the issue, deliberated just 15 minutes before rejecting her claims.