Custodial dad blames girlfriend for beating death of 5-year-old son (Austin, Texas)

Dad LEONARD "IVAN" SOLIZ may have had custody of his 5-year-old son, but that doesn't mean the boy's beating death was HIS fault! No, sir! I mean Daddy hadn't even seen the boy in like, a week, since he was, um, in jail on an "unrelated probation violation." So it has to be that b----'s fault!

Why did this irresponsible @$$wipe have custody anyway? Who gave it to him?

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/crime/hearing-for-woman-linked-to-boys-death

Hearing for woman linked to boy's death
Nichole Turner's bond set at $100,000
Updated: Monday, 12 Jul 2010, 3:13 PM CDT
Published : Monday, 12 Jul 2010, 3:12 PM CDT

AUSTIN (KXAN) - A woman linked to the beating death of a 5-year-old North Austin boy has a court appearance this week.

Three months after Julian Soliz's death, police arrested Nichole Turner, 22, and charged her with injury to a child, which carries the same sentence of five years- to life in prison.

Julian's father, Leonard "Ivan" Soliz had custody of him, but he claimed he had not seen Julian for about a week before his death. He is in jail on an unrelated probation violation.

Turner is Soliz's girlfriend, and Julian was under her care at the time. She told detectives she was the only one with Julian in the days leading up to his death.

She reportedly described hitting him with a leather belt three days before a passerby found the child's body on April 10 in tall grass near a sidewalk and homes in the Wells Branch neighborhood of North Travis County.

Turner told investigators the belt could have hit his head and stomach and admitted to losing control.

The night before Julian's body was discovered, neighbors told detectives they heard what sounded like furniture being tossed around or someone dropping heavy appliances in Turner's apartment.

She reported the boy missing just a few hours before his body was found.

Soliz's autopsy concluded he had died from blunt force trauma to his abdomen. This injury could not be attributed to a car accident or a fall, police said. The medical examiner counted at least 59 bruises on the boy's body. Scarring to a wound on his head indicated the injuries happened days prior to his death.

Julian's biological mother, Jessica Salazar said she was in tears most of the day after a Travis County detective told her Turner was going to be arrested. Salazar said she and her family were not surprised by the suspect, but could not bear to hear the detailed account of abuse.

Meanwhile, detectives said they wanted to charge Turner with murder but that the district attorney thought they had a stronger case with a charge of injury to a child.

Turner or her attorney are set to appear before the grand jury July 16. Her bond is set at $100,000.

Here are some of the points made in the arrest affidavit:

Nichole also described “whooping” Julian on Tuesday (April 6) for lying. She later said this occurred on Wednesday (April 7). She described how she hit Julian with a black leather belt because he had told a lie. Nichole described that as she was doing this, she had a hold of Julian’s hand and he was moving around while she was hitting him with the belt. Nichole said she hit Julian on his buttocks with the belt 3 or 4 times. Then when Julian’s pants were down, she hit him with her hand on his buttocks.

Nichole was also interviewed by Child Protective Services Investigator Michael Bradburn and she advised Bradburn on Tuesday, April 6 she whipped Julian with a belt 3 or 4 times. He was moving around so she had to switch to her hand and pull his pants down and spanked him 3 or 4 times on the buttocks. As Nichole was doing this, Julian fell to the ground and Nichole had a hold of him by his wrist. Julian continued moving about and she continued holding him by the wrist as she was swinging the belt. Nichole admitted that the belt could have struck Julian on the head and could have struck him in the stomach. Nichole said she realized that she had lost control.

Texas Child Protective Services took protective custody of two other children living Turner, her 5-year-old daughter and a 7-month-old boy she had with Soliz.