BEXAR COUNTY, TEXAS: A Texas mother has accepted a plea deal in the torture and subsequent death of her young daughter. Katrina Mendoza, 23, pleaded guilty to first-degree felony count of injury to a child causing serious bodily injury by omission for her brutal involvement in the 2022 death of her five-year-old daughter Mercedes Losoya.
The child was subject to "extreme abuse and torture" before her tragic death as Mendoza claimed she witnessed her then-boyfriend Jose Ruiz, 27, "shovel dog feces into the victim’s mouth as he yelled at the child" and also "did the same thing with a sock soaked in urine."
Who is Katrina Mendoza?
Charges against the 23-year-old woman from San Antonio carry a maximum penalty of life behind bars, according to New York Post. However, the Bexar County District Attorney’s Office has agreed to cap Mendoza's sentence at 45 years as part of her plea agreement.
Mendoza and Ruiz, 27, were both taken into custody and were charged with injury to a child after the death of her five-year-old daughter. In February 2022, the young child who was taken to Southwest General Hospital was pronounced dead.
According to police, the child was taken to the facility after she suffered extreme physical abuse, including cuts, bruises, the loss of hair, and even toenails over several weeks.
Mendoza asked Ruiz to help discipline her daughter
Mendoza told authorities that she asked her then-boyfriend Ruiz to help her discipline Losoya. He then abused her for three weeks. The woman claimed Ruiz forced the child to put dog feces in her mouth as he yelled at her.
He also allegedly stuffed a sock soaked in urine into her mouth and recounted how her daughter's teeth were knocked out when he aggressively pulled the socks out of her mouth. She alleged that weeks before Losoya's death, Ruiz forced the child to stand in place and to hold "heavy objects" during his video calls.
Ruiz who is set to appear for trial in October pleaded not guilty to injury to a child causing serious bodily injury. According to District Judge Stephanie Boyd's statement on Monday, Mendoza's sentencing will be delayed until after the completion of Ruiz's trial.
Police stated that Ruiz “appeared to be deflecting responsibility for his actions onto Mendoza and the victim’s sister." The victim's six-year-old sister was reportedly removed from the home and placed under the care of Child Protective Services.
