California man sentenced to life in prison for torturing toddler to death
By APThursday, September 10, 2009
Calif. man gets life sentence for toddler death
VISTA, Calif. — A Southern California man who fatally beat and tortured his girlfriend’s 2-year-old son has been sentenced to life in prison without parole.
San Diego Superior Court Judge Joan Weber said during Thursday’s sentencing that the evidence against Jose Maurice Castenada was overwhelming.
Castenada was convicted in June of first-degree murder after testimony revealed the boy was kept in a closet and tortured with hangers, belts and a cable wire over several months.
An autopsy revealed victim Cesar Razo had 304 injuries on his 23-pound body when he died at a hospital in June 2005.
Jurors who convicted the 25-year-old Castenada deadlocked on recommending the death penalty or life imprisonment.
The child’s mother Maria Razo received a nearly 17-year term for voluntary manslaughter and child abuse.
