Sentencing Delayed for Indio Man Who Killed Girlfriend’s Son
Sentencing Delayed for Indio Man Who Killed Girlfriend’s Son
by Contributing Editor
With his new attorney seeking additional time to review the case, sentencing was postponed Wednesday for an Indio man who fatally beat his girlfriend’s 22-month-old son nearly a decade ago.
An Indio jury in October deliberated three days before finding 34-year-old Esteban Alamo guilty of second-degree murder and assault on a child resulting in death for the fatal attack on Serik Nieto.
Alamo replaced his defense counsel after his conviction, and during Wednesday’s hearing, attorney Christopher Hickey asked Riverside County Superior Court Judge Anthony Villalobos for six weeks to conduct a thorough review of trial transcripts and other records, possibly in preparation for a motion for a new trial.
The judge agreed, resetting the sentencing hearing to Jan. 15.
Alamo, who is being held without bail at the Indio Jail, is facing 15 years to life in state prison.
Serik died Oct. 9, 2010. Alamo was on parole and living with his girlfriend in Indio at the time.
According to prosecutors, he babysat the toddler on Oct. 4, 2010, for four to five hours while the mother ran errands. When she returned, she found her son unconscious and laboring to breathe.
The woman took Serik to JFK Memorial Hospital in Indio, but he was soon airlifted to Loma Linda University Medical Center, where he was pronounced brain-dead and taken off of life support a few days later.
Alamo’s prior attorney, Jacob Devane, asked jurors to consider whether the mother might be responsible for Serik’s death and also suggested the toddler could have fallen while playing.
Deputy District Attorney Joshua Hill countered that during an interview with police, Alamo indicated the child’s injuries occurred when the mother was away from the residence.
According to a declaration in support of an arrest warrant, Alamo told Indio police detectives that he did not like children and would lose his temper fairly quickly, adding that is why he didn’t have any children of his own.
An autopsy revealed that the victim’s injuries could not have been caused by a “simple fall from a couch, chair, bed,” according to court papers.
Following the verdict, the victim’s aunt, Stefanie Nieto, said she and many of her family members believe Alamo is innocent.
“I have nothing to hide,” Alamo said in a recorded interview with detectives that was played during the trial. “I know it looks bad, especially for me.”
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All credit goes to Contributing Editor
Originally published on https://mynewsla.com
