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Idaho Dad Allegedly ‘Did Nothing To Save His Son’ As Wife Tortured and Killed Child
Monique Osuna allegedly beat Emrik Osuna with a random household objects and made him sleep in a closet.
An Idaho father is accused of doing nothing to help his son as his wife allegedly tortured the kid to death.
First responders were called to a home in Meridian on Sept. 1 after receiving a call that a child had stopped breathing, Meridian Police said in a press release.
Officers arrived on scene to find Emrik Osuna, 9, who had stopped breathing and had no heartbeat. They performed CPR on the child until EMS arrived on scene. EMS also tried to save his life but to no avail. He was transferred to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.
“Officers observed that the victim showed signs of abuse,” the press release stated.
Hours after the boy’s death, his stepmother, Monique Osuna, 27, and his father, Erik Osuna-Gutierez, 29, were both arrested. Monique has been charged with first degree murder and Erik has been charged with injury to a child and infliction of great bodily injury and destruction of concealment of evidence, the Meridian Press reports.
During a Thursday court appearance, prosecutor Tamera Kelly claimed that the stepmother was the aggressor while the boy’s father stood by. She alleged that while Erik didn’t actively inflict the abuse “he admitted […] he did nothing to save his son,” according to the Meridian Press.
Kelly also alleged that Monique beat the boy with household objects, which included a frying pan, a belt, a wooden spoon, and a dog leash. She claimed that the stepmother forced Emrik to sleep in a closet and that she withheld food from him. Erik allegedly admitted to police that the boy had only been eating rice and water lately.
Erik also allegedly admitted to asking someone to discard nanny camera footage from inside his home after the boy stopped breathing, Kelly said on Thursday.
Three other children in the home — ages 9, 4, and 4 months — were placed into protective custody and placed with Health and Welfare, according to police.
Both guardians’ bail has been set at $2 million. It’s not clear if either has a lawyer who can speak on their behalf. Erik is also being held on a non-bailable federal hold.
The couple is scheduled to appear in court Sept. 17 for a preliminary hearing.
