GEREMIAH ESTABROOK - 2 yo -(2010) Bexar/SW San Antonio TX

Tears ran down Eric Cervera's face Saturday evening as officers escorted
him to a patrol car outside Police Department headquarters.
“I didn't do anything,” he said, referring to allegations that he beat to death
his girlfriend's 2-year-old son. Cervera was set to be booked into Bexar County Jail
late Saturday on one count of capital murder. Bail was set at $1 million. The
allegation stems from an incident Friday afternoon when Cervera called
911 to report that the boy, Geremiah Estabrook, wasn't breathing,
according to an arrest warrant affidavit. Cervera, who's not the
child's biological father, told police he was baby-sitting the boy
while his girlfriend was at work. He added that the child was happy and
playing but that when he took Estabrook to the bedroom for a nap, he
began to fuss. Cervera said he eventually got the child to nap
and went to watch television with his two sons in an adjacent room.
After nearly an hour, Cervera went to wake up the child for lunch, but
found him cold, limp and not breathing, the affidavit states.
He said he tried to call the child's mother first before calling 911. Police
also questioned the boy's mother, Ilandia Estabrook, who said her son
was in a jovial mood before she left for work around 10:30 a.m. She
added that she left work after getting a call from Cervera that her son
was not breathing, the affidavit states. She has not been charged.
Before leaving the home, investigators said they noticed bruises
to the child's head and body.Estabrook was taken to University Hospital,
where he later died. An autopsy was conducted Saturday, which confirmed the bruising to the
boy's face and body. After an internal examination, it was determined
that the child suffered a lacerated liver, a severed pancreas and
multiple rib fractures. Many of the injuries appeared to be only
a few hours old and would have been painful enough that the child would
not have been eating or playing, Bexar County Chief Medical Examiner
Randall Frost told investigators. Frost told police it was one
of the worst cases of abdominal trauma he had seen, the affidavit
states. He also said some of the injuries appeared to be healing, which
suggested the child had sustained previous trauma. Cervera told
police he was the only person who cared for the child that morning and
denied striking or abusing him, the affidavit states. Police said
Cervera has no prior criminal record and that there have not been any
reports of prior abuse at the home. The suspect's two boys, who are 8 and 10,
were returned to their biological mother, police said. They were not injured. After
police took Cervera to the Bexar County Central Magistrate to see a
judge, the child's mother walked inside the department's headquarters.
After she was told about the allegation, she fell to the floor screaming
and crying. “Oh my God, oh my God,” she wailed as an officer took her to a room for further questioning.

It didn't take police long to arrest the man they say killed a two
year old boy. But now the suspect's family is speaking out, claiming
he's innocent.
29-year-old Eric Cervera is charged with killing 2-year-old Geremiah
Estabrook. Cervera was dating the child's mother. Police were called to
the Avian Place Apartments in the 5400 block of West Military where they
were told the baby had gone down for a nap and never woke up. The
medical examiner found evidence of severe blunt trauma to the child's
body. Cervera was babysitting his own 8 and 10 year old children, at the
same time the child died.
Police say the Cervera's weren't hurt. The baby's mother wasn't home
at the time. Meanwhile, Cervera's family says, the 29-year-old
has never abused a child and has always been known as a loving and
caring father.
"He was a very loveable person, when it comes to kids, I can't
explain it but the way I saw him with his boys and this little boy, it
was an unconditional love," Said Ela Quintero.
Cervera remains at the Bexar County jail under a one million dollar bond.

Toddler's killer is handed life without parole
He had been left to care for 2-year-old boy.
By Craig Kapitan
ckapitan@express-news.net
Updated 01:01 a.m., Wednesday, September 21, 2011


Jerrmiah Estabrook, 2, who died of blunt abdominal trauma last summer. Jurors found Eric Cervera guilty of capital murder and was ordered to serve life in prison without parole.


A San Antonio man was ordered to serve life in prison without parole Tuesday after jurors found him guilty of the capital murder of a 2-year-old boy he had been babysitting.
Eric Cervera, 30, hung his head after the verdict as prosecutor Michael De Leon read aloud a victim impact statement written by the mother of Jerrmiah Estabrook, who died of blunt abdominal trauma last summer.
“I don't even know who I am without Jerrmiah. He gave me purpose,” wrote Ilandia Estabrook, who stood next to the prosecutor — occasionally glancing at the defendant — as the statement was recited. “I thought I had finally found the love of my life. He called you Daddy and what did you do? You beat him to death.”
It took jurors five hours over two days to reach the verdict. The panel also considered noncapital murder and injury to a child charges but rejected those lesser-included offences.
Because prosecutors declined to seek the death penalty, state District Judge Sid Harle immediately sentenced him to the only other option for a capital conviction: life without parole.
Cervera was arrested last year, after the medical examiner's office noted that, in addition to fractured ribs and bruising all over his body, Jerrmiah had internal injuries usually indicative of a car crash victim. His liver had been torn twice and his pancreas was nearly severed by the blows he endured.
Jurors wiped away tears as Estabrook's victim impact statement was read, and De Leon also seemed to struggle to keep his composure at some points.
Having been adopted, Estabrook said giving birth to her own son helped complete her as a person. She described sitting by his bed as he slept, giddily staring at him as she waited for him to wake up.
“He was my pride and joy,” Estabrook wrote, describing how she now tries to go back to sleep after dreaming of him so she can do so again. “What did he ever do to you? Did it make you feel like more of a man? ... You will always be a man who beat to death a baby.”


Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/article/Baby-killer-gets-life-without-parole-2179990.php#ixzz1Z83fi0J4