DANIEL RESENDIZ - 2 yo (2010)/ Charged: Mother's BF; Walter Munoz - Phoenix AZ

[color=#000000]Police on Sunday arrested a 24-year-old Phoenix man in the slaying of his girlfriend's 2-year-old son. Phoenix police said Walter Munoz was booked into a Maricopa County jail and will face charges of first-degree murder and child abuse.  Sgt. Steve Martos said that just after 9 p.m. Saturday, police and fire personnel responded to a call at a large apartment complex in the 8200 block of West Indian School Road regarding "a child not breathing."[color=#000000]Martos said fire personnel transported the boy, Daniel Resendiz, to a hospital, where medical staff declared the child dead. Homicide detectives were called to the scene "based on observations made by staff at the hospital and statements made by the mother," Martos said.  He said that once detectives questioned both adults, "Walter admitted to abusing the 2-year-old victim for some time." "He had been abusing this child for several weeks," Martos said, adding that Munoz was not the boy's father. Carlos Soto, 32, and his wife and four children live near the Munoz apartment. Bare, hard dirt fronts the complex and paint is peeling. "My wife says he (Munoz) was yelling a lot at the little boy," Soto said. "He'd yell and the boy and other children would be afraid." Martos said investigators learned that the mother, Bianca Arce, 27, was aware of the abusive behavior and did not prevent it or seek help.Martos said Arce was booked into jail on suspicion of child abuse. The two remaining children in the home were placed in state Child Protective Services custody.

http://www.azcentral.com/community/phoenix/articles/2010/10/31/20101031phoenix-father-arrested-sons-death.html

Phoenix Man Beats/Bites 2-Year-Old to Death; Child Had Bruises on 80 Percent of Body

By James King Mon.
Nov. 1 2010 at 1:54 PM

A Phoenix man is behind bars after police say he murdered the 2-year-old son of his girlfriend by beating him -- and biting him -- repeatedly over the weekend.

The kid was so badly beaten, police say, he had bruises covering 80 percent of his body.

According to court documents obtained by New Times, 24-year-old Walter Munoz beat the boy, 2-year-old Daniel Resendiz, while his mother, 27-year-old Bianca Arce, was at the store. Munoz told police he'd been drinking that night and thought it would be a good idea to try and jump over Resendiz. He failed, landed on the boy, and apparently went ballistic.

Munoz told police he was mad when he didn't stick the landing, and feared he may have broken the child's ribs, so (ahem) naturally, he grabbed Resendiz, and bit him on the face.

The boy then bit Munoz's finger, which only enraged the drunken man further.

Munoz told police that after the boy bit his finger, he started punching him "really *darn* hard."

Resendiz's 5-year-old sister witnessed the beating and told police Munoz held the 2-year-old against a wall by his throat, too.

Fearing he had killed the boy, Munoz didn't call an ambulance, he put his beaten body in a bed and waited for Arce to get home.

When Arce got back to the house, at 8131 West Indian School Road in Phoenix, Munoz took her to the boy's bedroom and said he thought something was wrong.

Arce saw the bruises, grabbed the boy, and ran across the street to a neighbor's house, where she called police.

Resendiz was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

This wasn't the first time Munoz had beaten Resendiz. Previously, the beatings were so bad that Arce was forced to take her kids and move into a shelter.

According to the court docs, Munoz beat Resendiz with a belt and dropped him "recklessly," while trying to discipline him.

Arce knew Munoz was beating Resendiz -- she even reported him for child abuse on August 11.

Because she knew what was going on between Munoz and her son -- and still brought the kid to live with Munoz -- she's been charged with three counts of child abuse.

For Munoz, things are much more serious. He's been charged with one count of first-degree murder, and four counts of child abuse.

He's being held on $750,000 bail. His next court appearance is scheduled for November 8.

http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/valleyfever/2010/11/phoenix_man_beats_bites_2-year.php