Twin infant sisters, only five weeks old, were starved and beaten to death, with their 21-year-old parents now having been charged with their deaths. Angelina Belinda Calderon and Fernando Vega, both 21 years old, were taken into custody on Friday for their involvement in the abuse that resulted in the deaths of their six-week-old twin daughters.
The photos of the infants have been released, but their names have not been revealed. Houston police responded to their home at 2107 Linden Creek Way around 11:15 a.m. on October 4, where they found the twin babies unresponsive. Police launched an investigation into the case and soon took both the parents into custody.
Horrific Double Murders
Vega claimed that he had dropped Calderon off at work and returned home to find the twins unresponsive. However, the autopsy revealed that the children had sustained fatal injuries from blunt force trauma, as reported by KTRK.
"The allegations are alleged to be horrific. These two children were about six weeks old and appeared to suffer blunt force injuries, severely malnourished and old and new and new injuries on both of the children," Assistant District Attorney Appelbaum told KPRC.
"Quite alarming and as I say it kind of goes to the fact that these injuries and the fact that they were malnourished are things a reasonable caregiver should have been aware of and that's why they are charged with that omission part."
According to Vega's statement to the police, the twins had been "fussy" throughout the night, so he placed them in a bassinet. Calderon, who was preparing to go to work, did not awaken the babies in the morning.
Police said that when they arrived, they found the infants on the couch with discolored skin, several bruises, and contusions.
One of the girls also had fractures. Court documents indicated that the babies were born prematurely and had not received medical attention since being discharged from the hospital.
Cold-Blooded Murderers
Dr. Jesus Rico, a pathologist at the Harris County Institute of Forensic Science, conducted the autopsy and found multiple injuries on one of the infants, including dehydration, contusions on various parts of the body, and fractures indicating prior abuse.
Both twins were found to be malnourished, with one displaying evidence of acute brain bleeding, while the other exhibited hemorrhaging of the brain and spinal cord, indicating recent trauma, as reported by KPRC.
Calderon and Vega have been charged with causing serious bodily injury to a child and are currently detained at the Harris County Jail on a bond of $750,000.
The father is set to appear in court on May 29, while the mother's next court appearance is set for Friday.
Calderon's aunt, Sarah Calderon, told local news stations that both parents must be held accountable for their actions.
