GUILTY TX - Alfred & Abneris Santiago for starving, abusing 3 kids, Dallas, 2009

[believe09]

I still don't understand how housekeeping did not come in for a whole year! Or at least maintenance. Surely they come by to check the condition of the room, plumbing or smoke alarm checks, other inspections??

Thank the stars for this uncle who rescued these poor souls. I hope they are having feast after feast and ice cream for dessert!

I doubt they were left alone in the motel room. I bet he was omnipresent.

 

[reen]

I doubt they were left alone in the motel room. I bet he was omnipresent.

I'm sure he probably was. Still, this isn't a seedy motel - it's a newish extended stay hotel and those I've been to are fairly well maintained. Just seems sooo weird that he could keep hotel staff away from the bathroom for that long.

 

[SoccerMom]

I agree. Yet I have a "friend" who in the past year has lost her husband (he left her) and her Mother (death) and who is now moving in with her boyfriend of 2 months. Leaving the state and one of her two children behind because the boyfriend won't move here. Another friend and I have tried to talk to her about it, but she's "in love." I don't trust this guy and I never would have thought that she'd leave her daughter for him. It's destroyed our friendship. In a way, I'm glad that her daughter isn't going to be with him, but I worry about her son. This guy just seems way too eager to be a "father" to a little boy who already has a father. I often wonder if it would be better for his father to get custody over her.

I am quoting my own post here. Months after I wrote this, it came to my attention that my friend's boyfriend was on Megan's List for child molestation. Amazing. @@ And after he went back to jail for more of the same (but with adult women this time) she is actually going to marry him! I have completely cut her out of my life. I tried to help her but she "loves" him. It's disgusting.

 

[zelmajane]

I have cried three times in this thread.

Those poor children. Thank the dear Lord they have extended family that loves them.

Glad he got life. Hopefully they'll find out what he did while he is there.

 

[RoseWhite]

If I came home from work and discovered my boyfriend/husband/father of my children had locked my kids in the bathroom for even a DAY, that would be the end of it all. I can't believe anyone would have let this happen for as long as it did.

 

[Missizzy]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100728...DeW5faGVhZGxpbmVfbGlzdARzbGsDdGV4YXNtYW5zZW50

Texas man sentenced to 99 years in starvation case

"A Dallas man convicted of starving three children locked in a hotel bathroom for nearly a year was sentenced to 99 years in prison Tuesday after jurors heard testimony that one child was suicidal and another preferred urinating in his hospital bed to entering a restroom.

The youngest victim, a 6-year-old boy whose head barely peeked over the witness stand, told jurors he liked the hospital where he was taken after being rescued from the squalid hotel along a busy Dallas highway in July 2009.

"I got to eat," he said.

The jury sentenced Alfred Santiago, 38, hours after they convicted him of injury to a child and continuous sexual abuse.

and

"The four children live together with a foster family."


more at link


Hopefully, this foster family will be a permanent resource for these children. I'm so pleased that a family had the strength to take them all on. They need all the support we can provide.

 

[Belinda]

I'm so sorry for all these children have suffered. I know they will have lingering effects for the rest of their lives. I hope they are with the best family in the world and are receiving all the care they need. It's so sad to hear that one is suicidal. I hope they can help him get through that and become healthy and happy again. The man (insert appropriate other names here) still doesn't accept any responsibility for what he did to these poor babies. Shame on him. I will be interested to hear mom's sob story when she goes to court. No doubt she also is not responsible and had no choice. Yeah, right. And we will all believe that. Not.

 

[Openmind]

Never will be able to understand how anyone, little more a parent, can commit such abuse on their children. This article will break your heart. So much abuse and then the rigors of recovery.

Lind also testified that the two older children, who testified earlier in the trial, had a hard time coping with telling a room full of strangers what happened to them. Both were curious about what people thought about them and what they said.
The middle child, now 11, had the hardest time. He threw up five or six times after testifying on Monday. Of all the children, she said, he has the most difficulty coping with what happened.
Lind also testified that the 11-year-old believes that he should forgive Alfred Santiago because the child is a Christian.
"He couldn't do that, and he thought he might go to hell," she said. She said that the boy decided that he can't forgive him even if it means he might go to hell.
Lind said the 11-year-old believes that Alfred Santiago "should die for what he did."
The boy "believes Alfred is a monster and he has so devastated his life, he should understand what he did," Lind testified.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcon...s/072810dnmetsantiagopunishment.25af5b74.html

Now they have to endure their mother's trial.

 

[Andy C.]

I'm so sorry for all these children have suffered. I know they will have lingering effects for the rest of their lives. I hope they are with the best family in the world and are receiving all the care they need. It's so sad to hear that one is suicidal. I hope they can help him get through that and become healthy and happy again. The man (insert appropriate other names here) still doesn't accept any responsibility for what he did to these poor babies. Shame on him. I will be interested to hear mom's sob story when she goes to court. No doubt she also is not responsible and had no choice. Yeah, right. And we will all believe that. Not.

It is heartbreaking that people behave like this.

 

[Andy C.]

Never will be able to understand how anyone, little more a parent, can commit such abuse on their children. This article will break your heart. So much abuse and then the rigors of recovery.





http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcon...s/072810dnmetsantiagopunishment.25af5b74.html

Now they have to endure their mother's trial.

Sending blessings to them.

 

[Andy C.]

I loose faith in humanity more and more everyday.

Yep, me too!

 

[Andy C.]

http://www.newsnet5.com/news/20148076/detail.html



Officers responded to a call by the bio mother to gather her "things" from the hotel room; the call was precipitated by the woman's brother and her familys concern for her.

Officers entered the room and found three horribly emaciated children in a back bathroom-11, 10 and 5 years of age. The couple renting the room had a healthy 1 year old who was found in a crib. The children told a horrifying tale of starvation, beatings and sexual abuse while the children's mother was working.
:behindbar:behindbar:behindbar:behindbar:behindbar:behindbar:behindbar

Give them to me-the children I mean. I could give a rat's *advertiser censored** about the adults, but let me take those precious little ones and let them know that they can in fact be loved and cherished.

Three cheers for the uncle and the children's bio grandmom who tracked them all down and forced the rescue of the little ones....

Thank God for grandmothers.

 

[Andy C.]

This is just too much.I fell like throwing up,this man needs some good old boy justice,bring him to my house for a while and i will gladly take care of him.

I will help you.

 

[Andy C.]

This is just horrible. The kids will carry this horrible ordeal with them forever, bless their hearts. I hope the boyfriend spends the rest of his life in jail. I pray for these kids and hope they will find someone to love and take care of them. The mother should be charged also. IMO

I agree.

 

[RoseWhite]

Sentenced to 99 years.

http://www.komonews.com/news/national/99463649.html

A Dallas man convicted of starving three children locked in a hotel bathroom for nearly a year was sentenced to 99 years in prison Tuesday after jurors heard testimony that one child was suicidal and another preferred urinating in his hospital bed to entering a restroom.

The youngest victim, a 6-year-old boy whose head barely peeked over the witness stand, told jurors he liked the hospital where he was taken after being rescued from the squalid hotel along a busy Dallas highway in July 2009.

"I got to eat," he said.

 

[KeyboardCat]

I bet he is out in less than 20, maybe 10.

I hope this doesn't sound too offensive.. but I hope he gets put in gen pop. That's the only chance that he'd never see the outside again. I'm sorry.

 

[Belinda]

I'm waiting for him to be transferred to DOC, so I can see what his projected release date is. Texas doesn't play around though, so he will do the majority of it I'm sure. They don't do half-time like Indiana.

 

[reen]

I couldn't breathe while reading the children's testimony, it's so unimaginable the damage that's been inflicted on them. Two are suicidal, they all likely have eating disorders now, at least one has brain atrophy, they're terrified of the bathroom...the list is endless.

Children are resilient. They have gained weight and physically should be OK. But the wounds here go so deep...the amount of help and support they're going to need long-term is staggering. I truly hope the foster family is up for this, and closely and broadly supported while caring for these children. My heart just aches.

Speaking of that, I noticed this at the end of one article, in case like myself you would like to help:

"To donate clothes, toys, money or other items to the children in this case, contact Rebecca Farrow at the Dallas Children's Advocacy Center at rfarrow@dcac.org. The center is a nonprofit organization that helps abused children, as well as law enforcement agencies investigating and prosecuting abuse cases."

 

[RoseWhite]

I couldn't breathe while reading the children's testimony, it's so unimaginable the damage that's been inflicted on them. Two are suicidal, they all likely have eating disorders now, at least one has brain atrophy, they're terrified of the bathroom...the list is endless.

Children are resilient. They have gained weight and physically should be OK. But the wounds here go so deep...the amount of help and support they're going to need long-term is staggering. I truly hope the foster family is up for this, and closely and broadly supported while caring for these children. My heart just aches.

Speaking of that, I noticed this at the end of one article, in case like myself you would like to help:

"To donate clothes, toys, money or other items to the children in this case, contact Rebecca Farrow at the Dallas Children's Advocacy Center at rfarrow@dcac.org. The center is a nonprofit organization that helps abused children, as well as law enforcement agencies investigating and prosecuting abuse cases."

Me too. I wish I could just hug them and tell them they will never see that man again, let alone that room. Thank you for posting the donation link!

 

[believe09]

99 years works for me. I hate to point this out, but it is unlikely he will do well in GP.

TY for the link to the email for donations etc...