The abused 13-year-old who murdered his 2-year-old brother
Sadly for Cristian Fernandez, life was marked by violence and neglect. When he was just two-years-old, Cristian was found naked and dirty, wandering a South Florida street. The grandmother taking care of him was holed up with cocaine in a motel room, while his 14-year-old mother was nowhere to be found. His very conception resulted in a sexual assault conviction against his father. Cristian’s life got worse from there.
He was sexually assaulted by a cousin and beaten by his stepfather, who committed suicide before police arrived to investigate. In 2011,13-year-old Cristian was charged with first-degree murder after the beating death of his 2-year-old half-brother. He was also charged with the sexual abuse of his 5-year-old half-brother. In August 2013, Cristian reached a plea deal with prosecutors in which he will be sentenced as a minor for manslaughter (the sexual assault charges were dropped) and will remain in a juvenile facility until he’s 19.
