THIS is the harrowing moment officers discovered a four-year-old boy with black eyes and protruding bones just weeks before he starved to death.
Disturbing dash cam footage showing young Benjamin Cevera looking hungry and scared has been shown to shocked jurors as his father Brandon faces trial for child abuse.
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Police officers filmed a bruised and unhealthy Benjamin Cevera (4) weeks before his deathCredit: KSAT
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Body camera footage showed the child to have two black eyes and protruding bonesCredit: KSAT
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Benjamin died of starvation in 2021. Credits: KSAT
Police obtained cell phone footage showing the boy begging Brandon for water and food, the affidavit said.
The arrest affidavit, obtained by KSAT, said the boy was forced to drink hand sanitizer and sleep on a mattress on a urine-stained floor.
Benjamin was found unresponsive on August 17, 2021 with bruises all over his body before being taken to hospital where he tragically died.
He was only 28 pounds when doctors tried to save him.
His stepmother Miranda Casarez (25) has already been sentenced to 25 years in prison for abusing Benjamin.
Police body cam footage, shared by KSAT, shows Brandon and his partner at the time, Casarez, talking to officers about baby Benjamin.
Officers were dispatched to a welfare call and discovered the child in a poor, unhealthy condition with bruises on his eyes and gauze on his right ear.
His father and stepmother blamed Benjamin’s injuries on self-harm.
Brandon can be heard saying, “Poking his eyes and pushing his ear.”
Casarez adds: “He has behavioral issues. He gets up at night and goes to the kitchen and eats.”
As the video continues, Benjamin repeatedly begs his father to give him some food.
The court saw Benjamin being questioned by two San Antonio police officers away from his father and stepmother.
They took him to the mirror and asked how his eyes were so bruised, to which the young man smiled and said that he poked them.
One of the officers, Omar Perez, told the court that Benjamin “had visible injuries.”
“He had bruises on his eyes and torso and was emaciated … you could see his bones,” he added.
Paramedics were called to examine the young man and his vital signs returned to normal.
Perez was then told to call child protective services to better investigate the situation and fill out a report.
He was told it would lead to an investigation later.
Just 25 days after officers first saw Benjamin, he was found dead.
According to the Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office, Benjamin’s cause of death was starvation.
Brandon Cevera denies harming the child and faces up to life in prison if convicted.
When he was first arrested in 2022, a woman who identified herself as Benjamin’s mom, Lala Flores, posted on Facebook.
She wrote: “Justice will be served my angelita, although we will all know when justice does come.
“I will never understand why this happened at the hands of your so-called loved ones.
“You will always be in my heart and crazy in my mind. Mommy will always love you and your big brother.”
The trial continues.
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Brandon Cervera is on trial accused of child abuse that led to the death of his son BenjaminCredit: San Antonio Police
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Stepmother Miranda Casarez has already been sentenced to 25 years behind barsCredit: KSAT
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Lala Flores took to social media and said that “justice will be served” Credit: Facebook
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