2 boys brutally beaten in west Phoenix park die
by Lindsey Collom - Dec. 26, 2008 02:18 PM
The Arizona Republic
Police say two boys who were brutally attacked at a west Phoenix park earlier this week have died.
Jesse Ramirez, 7, succumbed to his injuries about 1:30 a.m. Friday, said Sgt. Tommy Thompson, a Phoenix police spokesman. His 10-year-old cousin, Edwin Pellecier, died nearly 12 hours later.
The boys suffered extensive head trauma when they were beaten with what appeared to be a baseball bat as they played at a community park Tuesday in the 9300 block of West Elwood Street.
Police arrested Joe Sauceda Gallegos, 36, within hours of the beating. He was booked into a Maricopa County jail on two counts of child abuse and dangerous crimes against children.
Thompson said Gallegos is now facing two counts of first-degree murder in light of the deaths.
“(It was) a very quick attack, a very brutal and vicious attack on these two young men,” Thompson said. “To be quite honest with you, these are things that make tough-on-the-outside cops cry on the inside when something like this happens to young people in our community.”
A neighbor found the boys lying in the park about 1 p.m. Hospital staff determined their injuries were caused by blunt force trauma.
The search for a suspect was narrowed after investigators viewed surveillance footage from a nearby home. The video showed the boys walking in the direction of the park followed a minute later by a man carrying a long object with the appearance of a baseball bat.
Investigators found a baseball bat and red-stained clothing in Gallegos' home.
Police say the boys did not know Gallegos prior to the attack, and they don't have a motive in the case.
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articl...attack-ON.html
RIP
I wish parents would keep closer tabs on their children.
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