Couple Convicted of Starving Child to Death
A Huntington Park woman and her boyfriend have been found guilty of starving the woman’s 3-year-old son to death.
Edith Agundez Arce, 20, was convicted of first-degree murder, and Rene Gildardo Urbano, 24, was found guilty of second-degree murder, Deputy Dist. Atty. Dinko Bozanich said. The jury deliberated one day before returning the verdicts Monday.
Arce and Urbano were arrested Aug. 2, 1996, after Arce’s son, Jose Cervantes, died 24 hours after being admitted to a hospital.
The couple told investigators the boy had taken a large dose of Tylenol and Dimetapp, which contributed to his weakened condition. But prosecutors maintained the boy had been deprived of food.
Arce and Urbano are the parents of two girls, ages 3 and 2. Police said there were no signs that the younger children--who were taken into protective custody--had been deprived of food.
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