Girlfriend of custodial dad indicted in death of 5-year-old boy (Austin, Texas)

Why does the media not ask the most basic questions?

Custodial dad IVAN SOLIZ claims he hadn't even seen his 5-year-old son in the week before the boy's beating death, "allegedly" at the hands of his charming gal pal. No sir. Daddy was "in jail on an unrelated probation violation."

OOOHH. Real Father of the Year, this one.

We know this little boy had a mother, because she is mentioned. So, why did Daddy have custody? Anybody want to answer that for us? Even with CPS knowing all about the girlfriend's abusive history?

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/crime/Girlfriend-indicted-in-child-death

Girlfriend indicted in child death
Turner indicted for injury to a child
Updated: Friday, 20 Aug 2010, 6:14 PM CDT
Published : Friday, 20 Aug 2010, 2:41 PM CDT

Erin Cargile

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Nichole Turner, 22, was indicted Monday in the beating death of 5-year-old Julian Soliz. Turner is the girlfriend of Ivan Soliz, the boy's father.

A Travis County Grand Jury indicted turner for causing serious bodily injury to a child with a blunt object.

On April 10, A passerby found the child's body in tall grass near a sidewalk and homes in the Wells Branch neighborhood of North Travis County.

At the time, Julian was under the care of Turner, his father's girlfriend. She reported the boy missing just a few hours before his body was found.

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.

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.

"The pain is always going to be there," said Salazar as tears rolled down her cheek. She put her head in her hands and said, "It's always going to be in the back of my mind. I will never forgive her. She took something away from me I can never get back."

The charge faced by Turner is a first-degree felony and carries a sentence of five years to life in prison. Bond was set at $100,000.00.

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.