THIS is the harrowing moment cops discover a four-year-old boy with two black eyes and protruding bones just weeks before he starved to death.
Concerning bodycam footage showing young Benjamin Cevera looking hungry and scared was played out to shocked jurors as his father Brandon sits on trial for child abuse.
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Police obtained cell phone footage of the young boy begging Brandon for water and food, according to an affidavit.
The arrest affidavit, obtained by KSATalso says that the boy was forced to drink hand sanitizer and slept on a mattress on the floor covered in urine stains.
Benjamin was found unresponsive on August, 17, 2021 with bruises on his body before being taken to the hospital where he tragically died.
He weighed just 28 pounds when doctors tried to save him.
His stepmon Miranda Casarez, 25, has already been sentenced to 25 years in prison for abusing Benjamin.
The disturbing footage, shared by KSATshows Brandon and his partner at the time Miranda, talking to cops about Benjamin.
Officers were sent round on a welfare call and discovered the child in the poor, unhealthy state with his eyes bruised and a gauze on his right ear.
His dad and stepmom blamed Benjamin’s injuries on self-harm.
Brandon can be heard saying: “He pokes his eyes and he pokes his ear.”
Before Casarez says: “He has behavioral issues. He gets up at night and he goes into the kitchen and eats.”
As the footage continues Benjamin repeatedly pleads with his father to give him some food.
The court then saw Benjamin being interviewed by two San Antonio Police officers away from his father and stepmom.
They took him to a mirror and asked how his eyes became so bruised to which the young man smiles and says he poked them.
One of the officers, Omar Perez, took to the stand in the trial and told the court Benjamin “had visible injuries”.
“He had bruises on his eyes and torso and he was skinny… able to see his bones,” he added.
Emergency medics were called to check on the youngster with his vitals coming back as normal.
Perez was then told to call the child protective services to look into the situation further and to fill out a report.
He was told that it would lead to an investigation at a later date.
Just twenty five days after the cops first saw Benjamin he was found dead.
According to Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office, Benjamin’s cause of death was due to starvation.
This lead to many criticising the cops and social services for their responses when he first died.
Brandon Cevera denies causing injury to a child and faces life in prison if convicted.
Back in 2022 when he was first arrested a woman who identified herself as Benjamin’s mom, Lala Flores, took to Facebook.
She wrote: “Justice will be served mi angelito & even though when justice does come at least we’ll all know.
“I’ll never understand why this happened in the hands of your so-called loved ones.
“You’ll always be in my heart and run crazy in my mind. Mommy will always love you and your big brother.”
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