A father has been accused of beating his twin newborn daughters to death.
Fernando Vega, 22, who was arrested on April 19 and charged with causing serious bodily injury to a child, faces execution if he is found guilty.
His charges were upgraded to two counts of capital murder after investigators were satisfied he was the only one who could have killed them.
Six-week-old Massail and Mirena were found dead at their home on Linden Creek Way in Houston at about 11.15 am on October 4, 2023.
Police said the infants were found on the couch with discoloured skin, and bruises across their bodies. One of the girls reportedly had fractures.
The babies were born prematurely but they had not received medical care since being released from the hospital, court documents revealed.
Dr Jesus Rico, a pathologist at the Harris County Institute of Forensic Science, found dehydration, bruises, and fractures that indicated previous abuse.
Both twins were malnourished, one showed evidence of acute brain bleeding, and one also in their spinal cord, indicative of recent trauma.
Prosecutor Edward Appelbaum told the court on Wednesday, October 23, that he wanted to investigate their deaths fully before considering murder charges.
“These injuries are pretty severe and based on the symptoms and the injuries, he was the only person who was around these children, the only person who could have possibly inflicted these injuries,” he said.
Appelbaum previously described the allegations as horrific and said there were both old and new injuries.
Vega pleaded not guilty to the original charges. According to his lawyer, Mario Madrid:
“He’s not guilty, under the law he’s innocent at this time. We still have a long investigation to go and a lot of evidence to review,” he told the court.
Calderon is still only facing lesser charges, but prosecutors did not rule out upgrading hers to murder as well, as the investigation continued.
“He’s not guilty, under the law he’s innocent at this time. We still have a long investigation to go and a lot of evidence to review,” he told the court.
The 21-year-old mother of the babies, Angelina Belinda Calderon, is still only facing lesser charges, but prosecutors did not rule out upgrading hers to murder as well, as the investigation continued.
According to court documents, Calderon was said not to have woken the babies up in the morning because she was heading to work.
Calderon’s sister told a local news station in April that she was “one of the best mothers that I know”, and insisted she was at work the day the children died.
Calderon had an emotional outburst during an initial probable cause court hearing in April.
“You were the last one with my kids when they f**king died. You’re making me look like I’m a bad person. I was at work when they f**king died,” she wailed.
Calderon’s aunt, Sarah Calderon, told local news both parents needed to be held accountable for their actions.
“I’m just really disappointed, it hurts – it really does break my heart. They need to both be held accountable,” she said.
“Because, OK, even if I don’t think she would physically harm them like the babies weren’t even taken care of.”
Calderon and Vega are both being held at the Harris County Jail, Calderon on a $750,000 bond and Vega’s at $3 million.
