One of the three family members accused of killing teenager Jesse Harrison is scheduled to go to trial Aug. 12 in the 197th state District Court in Brownsville following a hearing Wednesday.
The 14-year-old was allegedly killed by his family on Jan. 23, 2021, in Willacy County, according to court documents. All three cases were transferred to Brownsville after concerns were raised that it would be impossible to conduct a fair trial for them in Willacy County.
Sabrina Loredo, 33, the boy’s mother, Antonia Gonzalez, 56, his grandmother, and Ruben Gonzalez Cordoba, 39, the mother’s boyfriend, were indicted for murder, aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon causing serious bodily injury-family violence, injury to a child and engaging in organized criminal activity.
A jury trial was set for Aug. 12 for Gonzalez, while a hearing for Loredo and Antonia Gonzalez was set for Oct. 21.
All three cases are being tried before Judge Adolfo E. Cordova Jr. of the 197th state District Court in Brownsville.
Attorney Nathaniel Perez is representing Gonzalez. Attorney John T. Blaylock is representing Loredo and Antonia Gonzalez.
At Wednesday’s hearings, issues involving mental health matters were raised, and the dates for Gonzalez’s trial and the hearing for Loredo and Antonia Gonzalez were set.
An initial call to the sheriff’s office came from Valley Baptist Medical Center personnel about the “possible sexual assault of a child, male,” the sheriff’s social media site reported at the time.
Willacy County Sheriff Joe Salazar’s office then began an investigation.
The arrests of the three family members rattled Willacy County residents and people across the Rio Grande Valley as reports of the death of the starving child came to light.
The 10-count indictment against each of the Sebastian family members lists numerous alleged offenses including murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, injury to a child, family violence, engaging in organized criminal activity, also not providing the boy enough to eat or drink, not providing medical attention, cutting him, slicing him, striking, kicking, burning, puncturing, scratching, offensively touching him with a belt or bow and arrow or unknown object, exposing him to injury from other people and animals, forcing him to perform manual labor, applying pressure to his body, allowing him to be assaulted and concealing him from anyone who might render emergency assistance.
