Man Charged in Death of Girlfriend’s Son
A Pacoima man was ordered Friday to stand trial on charges stemming from the beating death of his girlfriend’s 4-year-old son while he was baby-sitting.
Jose Cruz, 24, is charged with murder, torture and assault on a child causing death in the May 24 killing of Richard Mendez. Coroner’s officials say Richard was beaten for 30 minutes to an hour before he died of his injuries.
The child’s mother, Yvonne Guangorena, told authorities that Cruz called her at work that day to tell her he had hit the boy because he soiled his pants.
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