Murder of Justina Morales

Justina Morales (February 19, 1987 – December 31, 1995) was an American girl from the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, New York, who was killed at the age of eight years by her mother's boyfriend, Luis Santiago, on New Year's Eve in 1995. Her body was never found. The killing gained notoriety primarily through the New York City newspapers.

Justina Morales
Born(1987-02-19)February 19, 1987
Brooklyn, New York City, U.S.
DiedDecember 31, 1995(1995-12-31) (aged 8)
Brooklyn, New York City, U.S.

Disappearance

Justina's disappearance had gone unnoticed for more than a year. Teachers and school officials failed to take note of her long absence.[1] In February 1997, a relative informed the police that the girl had been missing and possibly had been killed.[2] The subsequent investigation, similar to those in the deaths of Elisa Izquierdo and Nadine Lockwood about the same time, disclosed shortcomings of the New York City child-welfare system.[3]

1997 trial

In 1997, the trial of Santiago revealed that he had abused the girl physically for several years and that he had beaten her to death when she had refused to take a bath for a party that night.[4] Justina's mother, Denise Solero, who was Santiago's girlfriend, had likewise been abused by him.[4] Several news reports and editorials portrayed Solero as a victim who was terrified to inform anyone that her daughter had been killed, while other accounts depicted her as an accomplice to the crime who had displayed a depraved indifference toward her daughter's plight. Two years after the killing, Santiago was sentenced to a minimum of six and a maximum of nineteen years in prison.[5] Solero had agreed to testify against Santiago in exchange for probation.[6] It was reported in 1999 that Solero wanted to be reunited with another daughter.[7] It was reported that Solero had changed her name to "Forbes" and was seeking supervised visits with her then two-year-old daughter, Sierra.[7] Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Joseph Bruno said there was no chance for a mother-daughter reunion that year, saying: "At this point, I see no basis to allow her to visit with any child, particularly her own child".[7] Bruno further said: "It may be disappointing, but it should not be a surprise that this is my position."[7]

Comparison to Nixzmary Brown

A January 2008 article by Andrea Peyser in The New York Post compared Justina to Nixzmary Brown, whose murder trial began the same month.[8]

See also

References
  1. "Fatal Miscommunication". The New York Times. February 19, 1997. Retrieved 2008-03-03.
  2. Kocieniewski, David (February 16, 1997). "Police Are Told That Missing Girl Was Slain". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-03-03.
  3. Haberman, Clyde (December 2, 1997). "NYC; Sad Parody Of Parenthood And Justice". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-03-03.
  4. Fried, Joseph P. (November 20, 1997). "Former Boyfriend of Mother Goes on Trial in Brooklyn in Death of a Child, 8". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-03-03.
  5. "Killer of Girl, 8, Gets Up to 19 Years in Prison". The New York Times - Metro News Briefs: New York. December 23, 1997. Retrieved 2008-03-03.
  6. Fried, Joseph P. (January 9, 1998). "Murdered Child's Mother Gets 5-Year Probation". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-03-03.
  7. "Judge: Killer Mom Can't Visit Daughter". Google Groups Alt.True.Crime (from New York Daily News, March 7, 1999 article). March 7, 1999. Retrieved 2008-03-03.
  8. Andrea Peyser (January 21, 2008). "Do right for a wronged little angel". New York Post. Retrieved 2008-01-22.
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