ALEXIS GARCIA - 3 yo (2010) - Tampa FL

Deputies are looking for a Tampa man accused in the death of his
girlfriend's 3 year old son.



Michell Blanco, 28, of 6225 North Dale Mabry Highway took the child
to the hospital Monday, saying he fell in the parking lot of their
apartment complex while chasing ducks.
Detectives determined the child, Alexis Garcia, was in his sole care
at the time. The mother was at work.
The child died Thursday and the Medical Examiner's Office ruled the
death a homicide.



Detectives say Blanco is sought on warrants charging him with first
degree murder and aggravated child abuse.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office asks anyone who sees Blanco,
or knows where he may be, to call (813) 247-8200 or CrimeStoppers at
1-800-873-TIPS, or send a text message "CSTB plus your tip" to C-R-I-M-E-S (274637).

In the car, the mother pleaded with her motionless son to wake up,
she says.His name was Alexis but he longed to be Astro Boy. He
was 3. She kissed his nose, his hands, his cheek, all the way to St.
Joseph's Hospital on Monday. It was too late. Her boyfriend, who
had been babysitting, cried and said the child had fallen, she says, but
doctors told her this was no fall."They said he was beaten up,"
Itzaira DeJesus said Thursday.Sheriff's investigators questioned the boyfriend,
27-year-old Michell Blanco, then let him go. He vanished. Now, there's a
warrant out for his arrest on charges of first-degree murder and
aggravated child abuse."I don't even want to consider him my
boyfriend," said DeJesus, 21. "I don't want to consider him anything."The
last time DeJesus spoke to her son was Monday, when she took a break
from her job cleaning houses to check on him. Blanco put him on the
phone, she said.Alexis sounded delighted that he got to feed
bread to the ducks in the pond just outside their apartment at 6225 N
Dale Mabry Highway.The last thing she recalls hearing from him:
"I love you, mommy."Hours later, Blanco called DeJesus to say
that Alexis had fallen and was unconscious, she said. DeJesus rushed
home to find her son laying motionless, struggling to breathe.He
had a bruise on his head, she said.She wrapped her arms around
him as Blanco drove them to the hospital."He was struggling to
breathe," she said. "I was trying to shake him to get him to wake up,
but nothing."There, doctors performed emergency surgery for a
severe head injury, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office reported.DeJesus
said doctors told her Alexis had multiple concussions and bruising on
his ribs and around his abdominal area, and that his injuries appeared
fresh.He was declared dead Tuesday.Blanco, who had stayed
with DeJesus at the hospital, cried, she said."I asked him, I
begged him to tell me the truth," DeJesus said. "He said he had nothing
to do with it."Hospital staff called the Sheriff's Office and
detectives arrived, DeJesus said. They told DeJesus and Blanco to follow
them to the Falkenburg Road Jail in their own car. Investigators
questioned the couple for about 20 minutes before releasing them,
DeJesus said.Blanco drove them back to the hospital. The entire
ride back, Blanco cried and denied hurting Alexis, the mother said."He
has a 5-year-old son," DeJesus said. "He kept saying he wouldn't do
that to his son, so he wouldn't do that to Alexis."DeJesus said
she told Blanco that if he didn't have anything to hide, he should take a
lie detector test."He dropped me back off at the hospital and
that was the last time I saw him," DeJesus said.On Thursday, the
Hillsborough County Medical Examiner's Office declared the death a
homicide, sheriff's spokesman Larry McKinnon said.Blanco's record
in Florida reflects two arrests, one in 2006 and one in 2004, both for
driving-related infractions.DeJesus said she and Blanco had been
together since November. He was laid off from his job at a pest control
company so he watched Alexis as DeJesus worked. "He was always
great with my son," she said. "My son was never afraid of him. He used
to love playing with him and just being around him."DeJesus said
she initially believed that her son had fallen.But detectives
told her that it appeared that Alexis was hit in the head with a hard
object, she said. The Hillsborough County Medical Examiner's
Office performed an autopsy. Spokesman Dick Bailey said the child's
organs had been harvested, indicating brain death. He said organ
donation generally is permitted even in deaths under investigation by
law enforcement.DeJesus, a Gaither High School graduate, raised
Alexis on her own. The boy's father saw little of him — at birth, and
then at the hospital when he died. But Alexis was loved, DeJesus said.
He was close to his maternal grandparents and had a younger sister.He
was a happy child who liked giving hugs and kisses. He loved animals,
but mainly ducks, turtles and dogs. He threw tantrums, like young
children often do, DeJesus said, but he got along well with others. He
idolized Astro Boy and called himself Toby after the evil-fighting
cartoon character.When he died, his heart went to another little
boy in South Carolina, and his liver and kidneys saved the lives of
children in Florida."He was a hero," DeJesus said. "He's my
hero."

Itzaira DeJesus remembers how happy her son was when she called from
work to check on him.

Alexis, 3, had been feeding ducks.

"He told me, 'I love you, Mommy,' and I told him, 'I love you back
and I'll see you later,'" DeJesus said.

Two hours later, her boyfriend called and said Alexis had fallen and
was unconscious. DeJesus never got a chance to talk with her son again.



Alexis Garcia died Tuesday after emergency surgery for head injuries.
The medical examiner's office determined Thursday that his death was a
homicide.

Hillsborough County deputies are searching for DeJesus' boyfriend,
28-year-old Michell Blanco. He's wanted on charges of first-degree
murder and aggravated child abuse.

"How can he do this to me?" DeJesus asked Friday. "He said he loved
me. He said he loved my kid."

She doesn't know where Blanco has gone. They began dating in November
and she and her son had been living with Blanco and his 5-year-old son.

DeJesus said Blanco called her Monday afternoon to tell her that
Alexis had fallen while chasing ducks in the parking lot of their
apartment complex on North Dale Mabry Highway.

She told him to take Alexis to a hospital; Blanco said he didn't
think doctors would help because he wasn't the child's father.

When DeJesus got home from her housecleaning job, Alexis was in bed,
unconscious and struggling to breathe. She carried her son to her car
and told him she was with him. They went to St. Joseph's Hospital.

There, DeJesus was told her son's injuries did not come from a fall,
but rather "that somebody beat him up."

DeJesus said she asked Blanco whether he had beaten her child. He
promised her he had not.

A private memorial service for Alexis will be held Sunday.

DeJesus said her son loved Astro Boy, animals and picking flowers.

He trusted everybody – when he met someone for the first time, he did
so with a hug and a kiss.

Alexis' organs have been donated, his mother said. His heart saved a
2-year-old child in South Carolina. His liver and kidney went to
children in Florida and Georgia.

"He wanted to be a superhero," DeJesus said. "And he was."

Michell Blanco, wanted on charges of first-degree murder and
aggravated child abuse in the death of his girlfriend's 3-year-old son,
turned himself in late Sunday.In court Monday, Blanco's private
attorney, Rick Hermida, told a judge that Blanco will plead not guilty
to each charge.The 3-year-old boy died May 24 from head trauma
and other injuries while under Blanco's care, authorities said.Blanco,
28, of Tampa, told the child's mother, Itzaira DeJesus, that the
child's injuries were from a fall. But doctors told her it appeared he
had been beaten.DeJesus told the St. Petersburg Times that
she returned to their home and found the boy motionless and struggling
to breathe. She said Monday she was relieved that Blanco was arrested.Sheriff's
investigators questioned Blanco but let him go. He vanished. A few days
later, on May 27, the Medical Examiner's Office declared the boy's
death a homicide.The Sheriff's Office then issued a warrant for
Blanco's arrest.Hermida said Blanco turned himself in Sunday. He
would not say where Blanco had been or why he did not come forward
sooner. Blanco declined an interview request Monday.Blanco, who
was born in Cuba, according to jail records, is a legal permanent
resident of the United States, his attorney said Monday.U.S.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigators assisted the Sheriff's
Office in searching for Blanco, although an agency spokeswoman would
not say in what capacity.When asked why the Sheriff's Office let
Blanco go after the initial interview, spokeswoman Debbie Carter said
the investigation had just started and deputies were waiting for an
autopsy to determine cause of death.During and after the
interview, Blanco maintained his innocence, according to DeJesus.Carter
said deputies needed evidence that Blanco hurt the boy. "We could not
speculate on the actual cause of death," Carter said. The detectives,
she said, "have to be very methodical."

Tampa man sought in death of girlfriend's son turns himself in

By Katie Sanders and Jessica Vander Velde, Times Staff Writers
In Print: Tuesday, June 8, 2010


TAMPA — Michell Blanco, wanted on charges of first-degree murder and aggravated child abuse in the death of his girlfriend's 3-year-old son, turned himself in late Sunday.

In court Monday, Blanco's private attorney, Rick Hermida, told a judge that Blanco will plead not guilty to each charge.

The 3-year-old boy died May 24 from head trauma and other injuries while under Blanco's care, authorities said.

Blanco, 28, of Tampa, told the child's mother, Itzaira DeJesus, that the child's injuries were from a fall. But doctors told her it appeared he had been beaten.

DeJesus told the St. Petersburg Times that she returned to their home and found the boy motionless and struggling to breathe. She said Monday she was relieved that Blanco was arrested.

Sheriff's investigators questioned Blanco but let him go. He vanished. A few days later, on May 27, the Medical Examiner's Office declared the boy's death a homicide.

The Sheriff's Office then issued a warrant for Blanco's arrest.

Hermida said Blanco turned himself in Sunday. He would not say where Blanco had been or why he did not come forward sooner. Blanco declined an interview request Monday.

Blanco, who was born in Cuba, according to jail records, is a legal permanent resident of the United States, his attorney said Monday.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigators assisted the Sheriff's Office in searching for Blanco, although an agency spokeswoman would not say in what capacity.

When asked why the Sheriff's Office let Blanco go after the initial interview, spokeswoman Debbie Carter said the investigation had just started and deputies were waiting for an autopsy to determine cause of death.

During and after the interview, Blanco maintained his innocence, according to DeJesus.

Carter said deputies needed evidence that Blanco hurt the boy. "We could not speculate on the actual cause of death," Carter said. The detectives, she said, "have to be very methodical."

Times staff writer Dong-Phuong Nguyen contributed to this report.


[Last modified: Jun 07, 2010 10:55 PM]

http://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/crime/tampa-man-sought-in-death-of-girlfriends-son-turns-himself-in/1100587

Bond denied for Michell Blanco, accused of killing his girlfriend's son
11:05 AM, Jun 7, 2010



Tampa, Florida - A Tampa man charged with killing his girlfriend's little boy is denied bond.

28-year-old Michell Blanco appeared by closed-circuit television from Orient Road jail, charged with first degree murder and aggravated child abuse. On the other end of the line was Judge Walter Heinrich in courtroom 15, as well as Blanco's private attorney, Rick Hermida.

Detectives say Blanco is responsible for the death of his girlfriend's 3-year-old son. Blanco was questioned last week and released, then fled the area.

Blanco told police the child's injuries came from falling in the parking lot of their apartment complex while chasing ducks. He turned himself into Hillsborough authorities on Sunday.

Judge Heinrich told Blanco,"You, sir, are facing life in prison. I don't know if it's a death penalty case or not. There was a warrant issued for your arrest, the judge that issued that warrant set no bond."

Blanco's attorney spoke to 10 Connects after the hearing. "He (Blanco) vigorously intends to defend this case, and I would just ask folks to consider the fact that we're not in Cuba, North Korea, Iran or China and to reserve judgment until we thoroughly review the evidence in this case."

When asked why his client fled the area, Hermida declined comment saying, "Just can't go there."

Blanco's next court appearance will be an arraignment within the next 10 days.

Larry Perkins, 10 Connects Photojournalist

http://www.wtsp.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=133656

10-CF-008340

DISPOSITION

09/12/2011

13:30:00

LOPEZ

ANNEX 401 N JEFFERSON ST TAMPA

CR62

http://publicrecord.hillsclerk.com/oridev/criminal_pack.sch?pcSearchMode=NS&pnPidm=6585996&pcCaseId=10-CF-008340&pnCnt=1&pcFirst=MICHELL&pcLast=BLANCO&pcMi=&pcSuf=&pcId=@6583636&pcByear=1982&pcPtyp=D001&pcDefStat=Opened&pdInit=27-MAY-10&pcCaseStat=Opened&pcCtyp=CM&pcLocn=TA&pcPref=&pcWarrant=&pcCaseDscr=CAPITAL MURDER&pcDiv=I&pcCourtType=CF&pnCaseYrFr=1970&pnCaseYrTo=2011&pcCtypCL=&pcLocnCL=

10-CF-008340 DISPOSITION 09/28/2011 13:30:00 LOPEZ ANNEX 401 N JEFFERSON ST TAMPA CR62


http://publicrecord.hillsclerk.com/oridev/criminal_pack.sch?pcSearchMode=NS&pnPidm=6585996&pcCaseId=10-CF-008340&pnCnt=1&pcFirst=MICHELL&pcLast=BLANCO&pcMi=&pcSuf=&pcId=@6583636&pcByear=1982&pcPtyp=D001&pcDefStat=Opened&pdInit=27-MAY-10&pcCaseStat=Opened&pcCtyp=CM&pcLocn=TA&pcPref=&pcWarrant=&pcCaseDscr=CAPITAL

10-CF-008340 DISPOSITION 12/12/2011 08:00:00 LOPEZ ANNEX 401 N JEFFERSON ST TAMPA CR62


http://publicrecord.hillsclerk.com/oridev/criminal_pack.sch?pcSearchMode=NS&pnPidm=6585996&pcCaseId=10-CF-008340&pnCnt=1&pcFirst=MICHELL&pcLast=BLANCO&pcMi=&pcSuf=&pcId=@6583636&pcByear=1982&pcPtyp=D001&pcDefStat=Opened&pdInit=27-MAY-10&pcCaseStat=Opened&pcCtyp=CM&pcLocn=TA&pcPref=&pcWarrant=&pcCaseDscr=CAPITAL

10-CF-008340 DISPOSITION 02/09/2012 13:30:00 COOK ANNEX 401 N JEFFERSON ST TAMPA CR62

http://publicrecord.hillsclerk.com/oridev/criminal_pack.sch?pcSearchMode=NS&pnPidm=6585996&pcCaseId=10-CF-008340&pnCnt=1&pcFirst=MICHELL&pcLast=BLANCO&pcMi=&pcSuf=&pcId=@6583636&pcByear=1982&pcPtyp=D001&pcDefStat=Opened&pdInit=27-MAY-10&pcCaseStat=Opened&pcCtyp=CM&pcLocn=TA&pcPref=&pcWarrant=&pcCaseDscr=CAPITAL&pcDiv=&pcCourtType=&pnCaseYrFr=1970&pnCaseYrTo=2011&pcCtypCL=&pcLocnCL=

Michell Blanco; Case No. 10-CF-008340

PRETRIAL 04/04/2014

http://publicrecord.hillsclerk.com/oridev/criminal_pack.sch?pcSearchMode=NS&pnPidm=6585996&pcCaseId=10-CF-008340&pnCnt=1&pcFirst=MICHELL&pcLast=BLANCO&pcMi=&pcSuf=&pcId=@6583636&pcByear=1982&pcPtyp=D001&pcDefStat=Opened&pdInit=27-MAY-10&pcCaseStat=Opened&pcCtyp=CM&pcLocn=TA&pcPref=&pcWarrant=&pcCaseDscr=CAPITAL