Couple charged with second-degree murder in 3-year-old's death

A Minnesota couple has been charged with the murder of Eastyn James Deronjic, a 3-year-old boy who was physically abused.

Rosa Esperanza Garza, 24, and Shiann Lynn Erickson, 22, were charged in Clay County District Court with second-degree murder while committing felony child neglect and endangerment. The charges stem from the March death of Deronjic, who suffered 28 blunt force injuries, according to an autopsy report completed on June 28. The report indicated that his death was due to an assault, including a blow that perforated his bowel.

According to the obituary, Eastyn was outgoing and loved to play with Nerf Guns. In June, Deronjic's family walked 4 miles from where the incident occurred to the police station, demanding justice for his death.

The criminal complaint states that on March 18, Moorhead police and paramedics responded to a 911 call about a boy who wasn't breathing. Upon arriving at an apartment on Belsly Boulevard around 1 a.m., officers noticed severe bruising on Eastyn's face and body. They performed life-saving measures before taking him to Sanford Medical Center in Fargo, but he was later pronounced dead.

A woman told police she came to the apartment to watch Eastyn and his baby sister because Garza, who goes by Mason and uses he/him pronouns. Erickson is Garza's girlfriend. The woman was supposedly there because Erickson was sick and needed to visit the hospital. However, Eastyn was also ill and had been vomiting.

The woman said Eastyn asked for water but then started coughing and gagging before becoming unresponsive. She informed police that Erickson and Garza often displayed tempers, and she had seen Garza slap and spank Eastyn.

At the hospital, detectives spoke with family members including Eastyn's biological mother, Allandra Arechigo. She reported leaving her children with Garza and mentioned that Eastyn sometimes had bruises but attributed them to his being "clumsy."

Garza told police that Eastyn had been vomiting throughout the day and complained about stomach pain. Despite Erickson suggesting a hospital visit, Garza believed the boy was fine.

Further, Erickson was treated at the hospital for what doctors suspected was an illness caused by marijuana use.

According to interviews done by the Star Tribune, the couple discussed Eastyn's condition. Garza attributed the boy's facial bruising to falling while vomiting and bike and skateboard accidents. Erickson claimed Garza had been abusive in the past and sometimes lost his temper with Eastyn, although she denied witnessing any recent assaults.

Detectives recovered concerning text messages from the couple’s cellphones, some of which were deleted but later retrieved. In one message from March 17, Erickson messaged Garza, "Ok have fun with your little [expletive]. Go beat on her kid…"

The couple remains in custody as the judicial proceedings continue.