Mother, boyfriend sentenced in Merced County death of boy, 4, who was abused for months
A Los Banos mother and her boyfriend were sentenced last week for the 2018 death of the woman’s 4-year-old son.
Steve Rea Perez Jr. of Dos Palos was sentenced to 31 years-to-life in prison for one count of felony child abuse and one count of felony child abuse causing death, according to a news release from the Merced County District Attorney’s Office.
The mother, Chanish Alyse Conrady was sentenced to six years, 8 months in prison for three counts of felony child endangerment.
Prosecutors say the child had suffered abuse at the hands of Perez for months, leading up to his death.
Before he died, the child had been at home with the defendants the night of Nov. 7, 2018.
Emergency responders were called an Ida Street residence in Dos Palos because the child was reportedly having seizures. The child was rushed to Los Banos Memorial Hospital, where he died.
According to a police report, authorities ruled the child died from blunt force trauma to the abdomen and head injuries.
After a two-week investigation, the Merced County Sheriff’s Office arrested Conrady and Perez in the boy’s death.
Indications of abuse prior to death
Reports show there were documented signs the child was being abused in the time leading up to his death.
According to the District Attorney’s Office news release, the first sign of abuse was in September 2018, when the boy had a bruise — and had said Perez was responsible. About a month later, the child had a severe injury to his head that required medical treatment.
According to a police report obtained by the Sun-Star, the Dos Palos Police Department had been called once by Valley Children’s Hospital and once by Los Banos Memorial to investigate possible child abuse. Child Protective Services responded to both incidents.
The police reports state the child was seen by a doctor multiple times for various injuries in the month of October. Those reports say Conrady gave inconsistent explanations of how the injuries occurred.
Defendants went to trial
The case came to a close after a month-long trial, which was prosecuted by Nicole Silveira, supervising deputy district attorney. The case was investigated by the Merced County Sheriff’s Office.
The prosecution argued Perez caused the acts of child abuse and the blow that killed the boy. Meanwhile, the mother allowed her child to suffer.
Perez received the maximum sentence, while the judge found factors in mitigation and sentenced Conrady to a lesser term, prosecutors said.
This story was originally published June 13, 2020 at 8:06 AM.