People v. Johnson CA5

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

Denise Belmonte was Johnson’s partner and the mother of his three children. The third child, a boy named Jordan, was the victim in this case. He was born on October 6, 2010, and was just over a month old when he died. Belmonte called 911 around 9:20 a.m. on November 10, 2010. A paramedic who responded found Belmonte on the floor administering CPR to Jordan. No one else was in the room. Jordan was not breathing and had no pulse. The paramedic observed rigor mortis in Jordan’s jaw when he attempted to place a breathing tube. He concluded that Jordan was dead. Jordan was taken to an emergency room, where he was declared dead at 9:45 a.m. An emergency room doctor believed Jordan died earlier than 8:30 p.m. the previous night. An autopsy found the cause of death to be multiple blunt force injuries. Both arms, both legs, and two ribs were fractured. The liver was lacerated and bled internally; this was probably the predominant injury. The brain was swollen and there was bleeding inside the skull. These injuries were consistent with Jordan having been punched or having collided with a solid object after being thrown. There were at least two blows, one to the…