A father from Ruidoso Downs who was found guilty of murdering his toddler son was given a life sentence by district judge Jared Kallunki.
On June 10, 2018, Ricardo Soto’s 2-year-old son Jeremiah Nevarez died. Ricardo Soto was charged with deliberate child abuse that caused death.
Soto, a citizen of Lincoln County, was found guilty of the crime on October 6, 2022, following a three-week trial. In New Mexico, a conviction of this nature entails a mandatory life term.
Nevarez was being treated at the Children’s Hospital at University Hospital in El Paso, Texas, when his death was discovered, and Texas social services were alerted about probable child abuse. Ricardo Soto was later arrested.
Nevarez was sent there from the Lincoln County Medical Center, where he had been treated for unconsciousness and incoordination. Investigators reported that the youngster had a cracked skull at the time.
During the inquiry, Ricardo Soto escaped for Mexico, but he was subsequently caught trying to enter the country again.
The case was prosecuted by the 12th Judicial District Attorney’s Office. Hector Balderas, the attorney general of New Mexico, stated that “murdering a kid is a heinous crime, and our fair [sic] system must deliver the strongest justice under the law to safeguard children in New Mexico and hopefully start the healing process for a grieving mother and family.”
“It is difficult to think of a more horrible act than killing an innocent child, and I am thankful that justice will be served with this life term,” said district attorney Scot Key.
What’s become of Ricardo Soto?
Soto’s legal team asked Kallunki to modify the sentence so that Soto would be eligible for parole after 20 years rather than the customary 30.
Because of Soto’s moral reputation and absence of criminal past, they took this action. According to Kallunki, Soto must spend a minimum of 25 years before being qualified for parole.
Soto’s defense lawyer, Judi Caruso, announced that she will appeal the ruling.
Nevarez’s death was brought on, in the words of Caruso of the New Mexico Public Defenders Office, by “illness and an accidental fall at daycare.”
The youngster could have sustained the injuries that resulted in his death days earlier, according to a neurologist who testified at the trial.
Because Soto was found guilty of the offense, the 12th Judicial District Attorney’s Office advocated for a punishment consistent with New Mexico criminal laws.
Also Read, Viggo Sorensen, Avivasofia, and Giselle Guilmette.
