5-year-old faced ‘extreme’ torture before death, TX cops say. Mom’s boyfriend sentenced
Warning: This story contains accusations of abuse that readers may find disturbing.
A Texas man was given a life sentence two years after officials say he severely abused his girlfriend’s 5-year-old daughter, leading to her death.
On Feb. 7, 2022, Katrina Mendoza brought her unresponsive 5-year-old daughter, Mercedes Losoya, to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead, according to an arrest affidavit.
At first, when officials examined Mercedes’ body, they found sections of hair missing and “bruises, scratches, cuts and swelling on almost every visible portion of her body,” the affidavit said.
There also appeared to be small puncture wounds on the bottoms of her feet, officials said.
Authorities said they soon uncovered a case of “extreme abuse and torture.”
Allegations of abuse
When Mendoza was questioned by authorities, she said her boyfriend, Jose Ruiz, abused Mercedes, according to officials.
Mendoza told police the abuse began about three weeks earlier when she called Ruiz and asked for help disciplining Mercedes, court records said. She said Ruiz punished Mercedes by making her hold up heavy items and pinching her, according to officials.
Shortly after, Mendoza said the abuse continued when she moved herself, Mercedes and her 6-year-old daughter in with Ruiz, officials said.
Mendoza told police she saw Ruiz physically beat Mercedes with belts and his hands while wearing rings, officials said, along with another incident when Ruiz is accused of forcing feces into Mercedes’ mouth and smearing it on her face.
She said she also witnessed Ruiz soak a sock in urine and make Mercedes suck on it, and then “aggressively” pull the sock out of her mouth, causing two of her teeth to fall out, according to court records.
When officials questioned Ruiz, he denied abusing Mercedes and said he punished her by “slapping her (expletive)” and making her stand in the corner, according to court records. He also is accused of admitting to making her hold her arms up, but said Mendoza was the one who beat Mercedes.
McClatchy News reached out to attorneys for Ruiz and Mendoza on March 20 but did not immediately hear back.
Mercedes Losoya
“(She was) very sweet. She loved God. She loved going to church. She loved school. She loved her sissy,” Mercedes’ great-aunt Emily Losoya told KENS5.
Losoya said when her family got a call from child protective services, they knew it had something to do with Mercedes, the outlet reported.
“(Her mother) had a lot of anger towards Mercedes. I don’t know why, but she favored (the sister) and I saw that right off the bat,” she told KENS5.
Mercedes’ paternal grandmother told the outlet Mercedes was neglected since she was a baby. The family said they tried to get custody of her but were unsuccessful.
“When we found out we were like, ‘Who in their right mind could do that to a child?’” Mercedes’ cousin Crystal Trinidad told KENS5. “As a mother, you fight for your kids. You protect them. She failed her, just like CPS failed her.”
“Mercedes we love and miss you, tia’s baby will never be forgotten,” a post on a Facebook page in memory of Mercedes said.
Life sentence
On Monday, March 18, a jury found Ruiz guilty of seven counts of injury to a child causing serious bodily injury and one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, the San Antonio Express-News reported.
“She was a fighter. She was a second child,” prosecutor Brittany Mitchell told jurors, according to the outlet. “Jose said, ‘Give her to me, I’ll show her discipline.’ But it was abuse. Jose took it to a while new level of cruelty.”
Shortly after his guilty verdict, Ruiz was sentenced to life in prison, plus 20 years for aggravated assault, and 10 years for each of the remaining six counts, news outlets reported.
Mendoza testified against Ruiz in exchange for a plea deal. She pleaded guilty to assault and has not yet been sentenced.
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