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.
