A Michigan mother and her boyfriend are facing justice for putting a 6-year-old boy through hell when he was repeatedly brutally beaten, locked like an animal in a small pen, stapled to the wall of the family trailer and killed by the couple, the Daily Mail.
Giovanni “Chulo” Jennings died July 31 in Madison Heights after a horrific childhood in which he was regularly physically abused, including being shot multiple times with an air rifle.
According to evidence obtained by police, the boy’s mother, Elaine Jennings, and her partner, Daniel Giacchina, locked the boy in a pen, where he slept on a wooden board measuring 4 feet by 12 inches. They amused themselves by filming him trying to escape.
Days before his death, Chulo had his head shoved into the corner of his enclosure, before being stapled to the wall by his stepfather as punishment for simply looking out the window.
After committing the act, the accused Daniel Giacchina allegedly texted the boy’s mother announcing that he had “resolved the problem”, accompanied by a photo of the child hanging on the wall.
Madison Heights Police Department
The stepfather also allegedly punched the six-year-old boy in the stomach several times just three days before he died, according to the mother’s version of events.
The boy then reportedly began vomiting and his condition deteriorated over the next few days. However, the mother did not call 911 until her son stopped breathing.
Upon arrival, emergency services immediately transported the child to the nearest hospital, then he was transferred to a larger hospital, where he was confirmed dead.
Horrible treatment
The autopsy revealed that Chulo died of an abdominal wound and a perforated intestine following a long period of confinement and physical abuse.
The child had bruises and lacerations all over his body, from his scalp to his fingers, arms, bottom, knees and the inside of his mouth.
“He was seriously injured but was not transported to the hospital earlier because his mother knew that a medical examination would indicate that he was suffering physical abuse,” Oakland County District Attorney Karen McDonald said.
Madison Heights Police Department
The couple blamed the boy’s biological father, but the duo’s version of events was contradicted by the victim’s 4-year-old brother, who told police what Daniel Giacchina did to Chulo in the hours before his death.
The prosecutor claims that the stepfather was the one who beat the child most of the time, but that the mother was aware of it and sometimes encouraged it.
Danniel Giacchina allegedly shot the 6-year-old boy in the leg and behind with an air rifle.
The two adults were charged with first-degree murder, child abuse and lying to police. They are due back in court on Aug. 21 and remain in custody pending trial.
