Page 50 - KPA JULY 15

U.S. NEWS A5
Wednesday 15 July 2015

Police:

Birthday cake beating followed week of handcuffing

In this combination photo, Oriana Garcia, left, Jacob Barajas, center, and Robert Leroy “Roy” tional Medical Center
Wilson, right, are seen in undated photos provided by the Hagerstown, Md., Department of Police. in Washington but foul
weather delayed the flight.
(Hagerstown Department of Police via AP) He was taken to a local
hospital and transferred to
DAVID DISHNEAU abuse charges against the emergency dispatcher the Washington hospital
Associated Press Garcia and Barajas. They again at 10:37 p.m., more sometime after midnight.
HAGERSTOWN, Maryland were arrested Monday by than five hours after the The allegation that Gar-
(AP) — A 9-year-old boy police who say they had first emergency call. cia was complicit in Jack’s
who was fatally beaten been preparing to leave Paramedics wanted him beating didn’t ring true to
over a missing birthday town. Bail for each is set airlifted to Children’s Na- her former boyfriend, Dan-
cake had been hand- at $5 million. Neither has a iel Fletcher.
cuffed for up to three hours defense attorney listed in “She was a loving mother,”
a day for a week before the court records. Fletcher said in an interview
deadly assault, according They told investigators that outside the apartment.
to court records released Wilson inflicted the fatal Fletcher, 35, a market re-
Tuesday in Maryland. injuries after Barajas had searcher now living in
A doctor who examined handcuffed Jack because Orem, Utah, said he lived
Jack Garcia before the he was suspected of steal- with Garcia and Jack for
boy died concluded his ing a cake belonging to five years in Arizona and
head injuries and extensive Wilson’s 2-year-old daugh- in Goleta, California, be-
bruising came from numer- ter. Wilson is being held on fore she met Wilson online
ous beatings and were assault and child-abuse and moved in late Febru-
consistent with torture, po- charges that were lev- ary to Davis’ apartment in
lice said. eled before the boy died. Hagerstown.q
The boy’s mother, Oriana His bail is set at $1 million.
Iris Garcia, 26, approved of Wilson’s public defender,
her boyfriend and brother Joshua Street, didn’t imme-
handcuffing her son be- diately return a phone call
cause “she was trying to Tuesday from The Associat-
teach Jack not to steal,” ed Press. Jack’s uncle told
Hagerstown Police Detec- police that after the boy
tive Shane Blankenship went unconscious from the
wrote in charging docu- beating, he placed him in
ments. The boyfriend, Rob- a seated position on the
ert Leroy “Roy” Wilson, 30, floor and handcuffed him
also disciplined Jack by behind his back to a din-
slapping him in the head, ing-room chair, using a bi-
boxing with him in pad- cycle lock as an additional
ded gloves and hitting him restraint. Then, after Wilson
in the leg with a bamboo went to get Garcia from
sword, Garcia’s brother Ja- her job at a store, Barajas
cob Andrew Barajas told called the emergency dis-
police. patcher to say Jack was
Barajas, 23, said all three having trouble breathing.
adults also made Jack eat When the paramedics ar-
food he had stolen “un- rived, Garcia sent them
til he was sick of it,” and away, saying the boy was
“used exercise to help Jack only “congested” and
focus better,” the court re- didn’t need medical atten-
cords say. tion — even though he was
They all lived in the apart- still unconscious, police
ment where Jack was as- say. The boy’s mother told
saulted June 30. He died police she later became
July 5. The documents de- alarmed when the boy
tail second-degree mur- started gurgling with every
der and first-degree child- breath, so Wilson called