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A 6-year-old Michigan boy was stapled to the wall and shot with a BB gun before dying because of “horrific” abuse, prosecutors say.
New charges were announced last week against Elaina Rose Jennings, 25, and Daniel John Giacchina, 33, by prosecutors in Oakland County, according to WDIV. They now both face murder and a host of other charges in connection to the death of Giovanny “Chulo” Jennings.
The mom and her boyfriend now face life in prison if convicted.
On July 30, police in Madison Heights, Michigan, responded to a mobile home for a report of the child not breathing. When they arrived, officers found the boy unconscious and suffering injuries all over his body.
He was rushed to the hospital and died the next day, according to the report.
Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald revealed that the boy had suffered abuse and had been confined for an extended period.
“Chulo had pervasive bruising to his abdomen, which was also bloated and distended,” McDonald said, according to the report. “He had an apparent BB wound to his shin. First responders and emergency room personnel noted extensive external injuries, as well.”
Investigators found over 100 hours of videos and photos to go with text messages discussing what happened to the boy, prosecutors said.
The boy was confined to a pen in the bedroom and was beaten in front of his siblings, WDIV reported. The parents watched him in the pen where he would “misbehave” – which was described as him urinating, drinking and trying to leave.
At one point, prosecutors said, Giacchina stapled the 6-year-old to the wall to keep him confined and facing the corner, prosecutors revealed. A photo showed the shoulders of the child’s shirt with staples against the wall.
“Both Jennings and Giacchina laughed about the photo and Giacchina’s use of the staple gun to solve ‘the problem.’ According to the text, Chulo was being punished in this manner for looking out the window in the pen area,’ prosecutors said.
When authorities searched the home they found marks in the wall that matched a staple gun. They also found a BB gun and CO2 cartridges in the residence.
“As we carefully sifted through the evidence, what we found can only be described as horrific,” McDonald said.
