Kai Tesoro (GoFundMe)
A 28-year-old man in Nevada is accused of killing his girlfriend’s 17-month-old son, allegedly beating the boy to death in what the medical examiner said was one of the worst cases of abuse he had ever seen.
Christian Moniz Rabino was taken into custody last week and charged with one count of first-degree murder and two counts of child abuse or neglect resulting in serious bodily harm in the slaying of young Kai Tesoro, records reviewed by Law&Crime show.
Officers with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department on June 1 responded to a 911 call regarding a toddler who was not breathing, Las Vegas CBS affiliate KLAS reported. Upon arriving at the scene, first responders located the child — later identified as Kai — and immediately transported him to the Summerlin Pediatrics Emergency Room for treatment.
At the hospital, doctors reportedly found that Kai was suffering from bruising to his head and multiple brain bleeds believed to be caused by “non-accidental trauma,” likely due to violent shaking. One of the doctors told authorities that the abuse was “one of the worst cases he had seen” in his career.
The child had also suffered a broken leg that likely been caused by “a large amount of force,” the station reported.
According to a report from Henderson, Nevada, Fox affiliate KVVU, Moniz Rabino spoke to officers at the hospital, saying that he was watching Kai and decided to call 911 because the boy began having trouble breathing and then stopped breathing. He said that Kai for the past few days had been sick with a fever.
Kai’s mother reportedly told hospital staff that Kai had recently fallen off of the bed. However, medical personnel noted in their report that the boy’s injuries were not consistent with such a fall, per KVVU.
At the hospital on June 1, the child was placed on life support. He succumbed to his injuries and was taken off of life support on June 6 and pronounced dead. His organs were donated to help other children in need, his family told news outlets.
KLAS reported that a witness spoke to police and told them Moniz Rabino was responsible for Kai’s injuries and that the boy’s mother lied about him falling from the bed. The witness added that Moniz Rabino also convinced Kai’s mother that her son did not need to go to the hospital for treatment.
During a subsequent interview, Kai’s mother reportedly admitted that she had seen Moniz Rabino physically abuse Kai on at least one occasion.
“(Moniz Rabino) became frustrated with (Kai’s) inability to walk on his own and planted (Kai’s) feet first on the floor,” police said, according to reports. The violent outburst resulted in both of Kai’s legs being broken, KVVU reported.
She also allegedly saw Moniz Rabino become frustrated with Kai’s crying and violently shake him at least once.
Moniz Rabino is currently being held at the Clark County Detention Center without bond. He is scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on Aug. 7, records show.’
A GoFundMe to raise money for Kai’s funeral expenses can be found here.
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