Daniel Garcia looking on as Nickolle Cristina Aguilar testifies during his trial (KSAT/YouTube screenshots)
The mother of a 5-year-old boy in Texas who was allegedly beaten to death in 2021 testified on Tuesday that her then-boyfriend regularly abused and tortured the child for various reasons before ultimately killing him.
Daniel Garcia is currently being tried on one count of injury to a child resulting in death, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon resulting in serious bodily injury, and altering, destroying, or concealing a human corpse in the slaying of young Domenic Patrick Aguilar.
The boy’s mother, Nickolle Cristina Aguilar, earlier this month pleaded guilty to one count of injury to a child causing serious bodily injury by omission and subsequently sentenced to a maximum of 15 years in a state correctional facility. As part of her plea agreement, Aguilar was required to testify against Garcia.
Taking the stand on Tuesday as the prosecution’s first witness, Aguilar discussed the harrowing final weeks of her son’s life before his death on July 24, 2021. Aguilar previously told authorities that Garcia threw Dominic with so much force that the child “bounced” off a wall and hit the floor, threw up a dark substance, and died a few hours later.
Aguilar told the court that she and Garcia — both of whom had a young daughter and young son — met online when they lived in Florida in 2020 before eventually moving to Texas together, per courtroom footage provided by San Antonio ABC affiliate KSAT.
Aguilar said that each parent was initially in charge of disciplining their own kids, but when they got to Texas, Aguilar said Garcia began disciplining Dominic, saying she wasn’t doing enough to keep the boy in line.
Asked what Dominic would do that would result in Garcia abusing him, Aguilar explained that it was any number of seemingly innocuous things.
“He wouldn’t answer right away, wouldn’t keep quiet, not eat his food fast enough … one time he pooped himself,” Aguilar said.
She then explained what kinds of punishments Garcia would dole out.
“(Garcia) would make him take really cold showers, spank him and punch him in the butt — with close fists,” she said
Speaking about a specific incident before Dominic’s death, Aguilar said Garcia punched the child in the face with so much force it left the boy’s jaw “crooked.”
“He wasn’t answering fast enough or eating fast enough and — I don’t remember exactly what happened, but at some point, Daniel (Garcia) hit him (Dominic) in the jaw,” she said. “He punched him in the jaw, like how you sucker punch somebody, with a closed fist.”
The couple and their kids were at an extended stay hotel on July 24, 2022, when Garcia allegedly threw Domenic into a wall, which is when the boy suffered the fatal injury. Dominic began vomiting what investigators described as a dark substance before he died a few hours later.
Authorities said surveillance footage from the hotel showed Garcia carrying Dominic’s lifeless body to their car.
Aguilar testified that instead of calling 911, they drove to Colorado — they camped in a remote area before burying Dominic. His body was later recovered in a ravine near the campsite.
During cross-examination, Garcia’s attorneys blamed Aguilar for Dominic’s death, highlighting text messages to Garcia in which she said she had failed as a mother.
If convicted, Garcia faces up to life in prison.
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