BRYAN, Texas — Last Friday, Oct. 27, a jury sentenced 22-year-old Gabriel Sanchez to 40 years in prison after his 37-day-old infant had to be life-flighted to the hospital due to several external and internal injuries.
On April 1, 2020, Bryan Police Officers were sent to St. Joseph Hospital after medical staff told police they had a very young infant in their care with multiple injuries that appeared to be the result of child abuse.
A CT scan revealed multiple skull fractures, old and new bleeding in the brain, as well as multiple brain bruises. The infant also had bruising throughout the body, many in the shape of handprints.
The infant had to be life-flighted to Texas Children's Hospital in Houston to be treated for their injuries.
An investigation uncovered that Sanchez was the infant's father and that the baby had been left in his care for about an hour while the mother went to work. Sanchez had called the infant's mother to tell her the baby had simply fallen off the bed.
According to the Brazos County District Attorney's Office Sanchez later admitted to intentionally hurting the child by striking the child on multiple occasions. He said he also threw the baby on the bed, causing it to bounce off and hit a nightstand. Then Sanchez admitted to police that he tried to prevent the child’s mother from seeking medical help for the baby.
While the child did not appear to have any lasting negative effects from the abuse, Sanchez has a history of family violence and has been violent toward other members of his family including toward the mother of his child.
Due to the overwhelming evidence and his criminal history a jury found Sanchez guilty of Intentionally or Knowingly Causing Serious Bodily Injury to a Child Under 14 and sentenced him to 40 years in prison.
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