A Rodeo couple made their first court appearance Friday, accused of abusing and torturing two children, killing a 2-year-old and seriously injuring another 10-month-old baby girl.
“Counts one through three pertaining to the 2-year-old deceased victim. That includes murder, child abuse, causing death of a person under 8 years old, and torture,” said prosecutor Derek Butts.
Sheriff's deputies responded to the couple’s home Monday night after receiving a report that a 2-year-old boy had drowned in the bathtub.
“We believe that is not a true scenario, and that the deceased child suffered the abuse which caused the death of that child,” said Butts.
Investigators say the toddler died, not from drowning, but because of injuries he suffered at the hands of the two people in charge of caring for him -- Destiny Deboe, 22, and 21-year-old Tyshawn Haywood.
The couple is also charged with torturing a 10-month-old baby girl who is recovering in the hospital.
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“My understanding was that the injuries were extremely severe,” said Butts.
The prosecutor told NBC Bay Area the children suffered bruises, contusions, fractures and injuries to their internal organs -- abuse they endured for nearly two months.
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“It breaks my heart,” said neighbor Sara Gordon. “I have grandchildren myself and this is just horrible.”
Gordon lives across the street with her own 2-year-old grandson. She said she never saw the children but is horrified by the allegations.
“Prison for the rest of their life, they shouldn’t be allowed in the community, nowhere near any children,” she said.
Gordon said she prays the surviving baby will recover. The prosecutor said he’s also hoping for the best.
“That they heal and survive and ultimately thrive. Think about a child who’s an infant and in later life what they are told, what they learn, and if this child is to learn about what happened you wonder about how much of an impact it will have on their life,” said Butts.
The couple will be back in court in two weeks to answer to the charges.
Bail has been set at $3 million for each of them.
