A Kitsap County Superior Court jury started deliberations Wednesday in the case of a Kingston man accused of shaking his infant daughter to death in July.
It is the second time Hector Francisco Saavedra Ruiz, 22, has stood trial for the death of 5-month-old Natalie. The first trial, in February, ended in a hung jury.
Saavedra Ruiz is charged with second-degree murder, but
before trial prosecutors added a charge of first-degree
manslaughter.*
Prosecutors have alleged that Saavedra Ruiz and the child’s mother, Kayla DesRochers, smoked meth then Saavedra Ruiz took the child to visit his coworkers at the Puerto Vallarta Mexican restaurant on Highway 104 July 16.
When Saavedra Ruiz returned, the child was not breathing. Natalie died in the hospital two days later. An autopsy found she had injuries consistent with being shaken.
DesRochers told investigators differing accounts of what happened that night. Also, a juror on the first trial said testimony raised questions about a broken rib on the child that was healing in light of testimony from DesRochers stating Saavedra Ruiz had little or no unsupervised contact with Natalie prior to that night.
Natalie was one of two infant girls alleged to have died in 2014 after being shaken by their fathers. Christopher Mayo, 20, is scheduled to be sentenced May 1 after pleading guilty to second-degree murder for the death of 10-week-old AnnaBelle in October. As part of the plea deal, prosecutors will ask that Mayo be sentenced to 14 years in prison.
*Prosecutors attempted to file this charge, but it was not filed.
Finally…justice for this angel.
Amen to that comment… I hope they never decriminalize Meth