Babysitter’s boyfriend faces murder charge in beating death of boy
Prosecutors have charged the boyfriend of a babysitter with murder for the alleged beating of a 2-year-old boy over the weekend that left him brain-dead.
Elder Matamoros, 23, was initially arrested Sunday on suspicion of cruelty to a child likely to produce great bodily injury or death. The boy, who was brought to a Long Beach hospital in extremely critical condition, was discovered Saturday afternoon by deputies and paramedics who responded to a “baby not breathing” call in the 11400 block of Maza Street in the Norwalk area, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
“The victim was unresponsive,” department officials said in a statement.
The mother had left the boy in the care of a babysitter. Her boyfriend, Matamoros, allegedly “assaulted the victim using blunt force trauma,” officials said.
Sheriff’s homicide detectives said physicians determined the boy was brain-dead. His identity was not immediately released.
A spokeswoman for the L.A. County district attorney’s office said Wednesday that Matamoros was charged with one count of assault on a child causing death and one count of murder.
Matamoros, who was being held on $100,000 bail, was due in court Jan. 21 for his arraignment.
[Updated at 3:49 p.m. PST, Jan. 8: Prosecutors say they are requesting bail be increased to $1 million.]
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Twitter: @cmaiduc
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