Boyfriend accused of killing Kissimmee toddler for soiling his pants

Boyfriend accused of killing Kissimmee toddler for soiling his pants


KISSIMMEE - A 2-year-old boy did something Sunday that 2-year-olds often do -- soiled his pants.

But this boy died Monday after he was beaten for doing so, Kissimmee police said.

Covered with burns, the toddler was rushed Sunday evening to a Kissimmee hospital, where he was unresponsive from a severe head injury, according to police reports.

The injuries were not reported for at least 30 minutes until the child's mother returned home from work about 7 p.m. and her boyfriend came running outside with the lifeless child wrapped in a towel, the report stated.

The boyfriend, Jonathan Alicea, 19, of Kissimmee, told police the child lost consciousness after being shoved to the ground for urinating in his pants at dinner, the report stated. Alicea told investigators he first tried CPR and then poured a pot of boiling water on the youngster's face to try to revive him, the report stated.

Asked why he waited at least 30 minutes before seeking help, Alicea told police "his cell phone is disconnected and he does not like to depend on neighbors for anything," the report stated.

The child died about 11:15 a.m. Monday at Arnold Palmer Hospital in Orlando, police said. The Orange-Osceola Medical Examiner has not yet received the child's body to perform an autopsy, but expects to be able to do so by today, a spokeswoman said.

Alicea was arrested and charged with first-degree murder. He is held without bail in the Osceola County Jail. Police did not release the name of the mother or the child on Monday. The Kissimmee Utility Authority shows a woman named Silkia Mateo receives a utility bill at an address where the couple shared a home.

The child's mother was not at her second-story apartment Monday afternoon on Pine Branch Drive, where a neighbor who moved in two weeks ago had not heard that the child had died.

"No, don't tell me that. Oh, God. It's terrible. That's really terrible," said Cristina Batetta, who did not arrive home Sunday until about 7 p.m.

Several neighbors in the apartment complex, including one who lives downstairs from where police say the crime took place, told the Orlando Sentinel they heard no noise during the time the child was attacked.

Battle of wills

Alicea stayed at home Sunday to care for his girlfriend's two children -- the 2-year-old and a 6-year-old sibling, according to his statements to police.

About 5 p.m., Alicea cooked hot dogs and scrambled eggs, and he grew frustrated when the 2-year-old wouldn't eat, police said. At some point the youngster stood up and urinated in his pants.

Alicea said he ordered him to change his underwear. The child refused to change his pants after walking toward the bathroom.

"This angered Jonathan," a police officer wrote. "Jonathan told me he walked towards [the child] and "pushed" [the child's] head with his left hand. This caused [the child] to lose consciousness immediately."

When the child stopped breathing the report stated Alicea placed the child in an empty bedroom dresser drawer and attempted CPR with no results. Alicea "boiled a pot of water and then poured it on [the child] stating he believed it would revive him."

Alicea told police that the child did not strike his head after being pushed to the floor. Police noticed swelling on Alicea's left hand and Alicea acknowledged he was left handed and shoved the boy with that hand.

"During the interview, Jonathan [Alicea] showed no emotion whatsoever," the report stated.

No history with DCF

The Department of Children and Families does not have any prior investigations into the family, spokeswoman Carrie Hoeppner said.

"The injuries and allegations are absolutely disturbing," Hoeppner said.

DCF officials did not immediately find any abuse allegations involving the mother of the two children, but will interview the older sibling soon, Hoeppner said.

"We will be looking for any type of [abuse] history," Hoeppner said. "We need to at this point secure and ensure the safety of the sibling."

A criminal history compiled by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement shows Alicea was arrested twice as a juvenile and charged with sex crimes.

Bianca Prieto can be reached at bprieto@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5620. Henry Pierson Curtis can be reached at hcurtis@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5257

I think the swelling on Alicea's left hand indicates more than a shove. There is a special place in hell for him.

This person shouldn't even be classified as human. He is a monster. He poured a pot of "boiling" water in the child's face because he thought it would revive him? No one is that stupid. He belongs in prison for the rest of his miserable life. The best place for him would be in the general population where the rest of the prisoners can take care of him. I hope he rots in Hell.

I thought people usually use cold water when trying to revive somebody. It is ridiculous to claim you used boiling water to revive somebody. I think this monster tortured the poor child before killing him.

When I hear about cases such as this, it angers me to no end! I don't believe that all of a sudden, out of the blue, he just woke up one day & thought to himself, I'll KILL TODAY! NO! He must have been abusing the children prior. Why is it that NO ONE reported ANYTHING PRIOR? It had to be something that esculated into the killing. This piece of shit is pure evil and I hope he gets what is coming to him.

FystyAngel wrote:When I hear about cases such as this, it angers me to no end! I don't believe that all of a sudden, out of the blue, he just woke up one day & thought to himself, I'll KILL TODAY! NO! He must have been abusing the children prior. Why is it that NO ONE reported ANYTHING PRIOR? It had to be something that esculated into the killing. This piece of shit is pure evil and I hope he gets what is coming to him.

Hi, Fysty!

Don't you wonder what these poor children have for a mother? She deserves to have her 6 year old taken away from her permanently. What was she thinking, involving herself with a monster like this in the first place?

Justice4all wrote:I thought people usually use cold water when trying to revive somebody. It is ridiculous to claim you used boiling water to revive somebody. I think this monster tortured the poor child before killing him.

Hi, J4A!

One would only use boiling water on a person they were trying to torture. He knew exactly what he was doing to that poor little boy.