Father convicted of murder in Ontario boy's death

RIVERSIDE -- A Moreno Valley man was convicted of first-degree murder Thursday in connection with the death of his son, a 2-year-old Ontario boy who died last year after suffering a brain injury at his father's home.

A jury deliberated less than two hours in Riverside Superior Court before finding 27-year-old Alex Baeza guilty of murder and child abuse in connection with Isaac Gallegos' death.

Baeza is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 23. He faces a prison sentence of at least 25 years to life.

"The pain is always going to be there, but the justice helps a little bit," said Isaac's mother, 23-year-old Andrea Gallegos of Ontario.

Prosecutors accused Baeza of injuring his son during a visit to Beaza's home on April 10, 2010. The boy died in a hospital four days later.

Baeza's attorney, Darryl Exum, told jurors during the trial that Isaac was injured in an accidental fall.

The boy's death came amid a custody dispute between his parents. Andrea Gallegos testified during the trial that after visiting Baeza, Isaac would sometimes return home with bruising and other injuries.

About six months before Isaac's death, Gallegos alerted a San Bernardino County Superior Court judge to the alleged abuse. The judge dismissed the mother's concerns as unfounded and refused to alter Baeza's visitation rights.

During Baeza's trial, a prosecutor said Isaac's fatal injuries were inconsistent with Baeza's explanation that his son suffered an accidental fall.

"He went from a child that was perfectly healthy, to a child that was on life support and brain-dead," Deputy District Attorney Burke Strunsky said.

The boy's grandfather, Mike Lester of Ontario, cheered the jury's verdicts.

"(Baeza) is an evil murderer and he got what he deserved," Lester said. "He'll never see the outside of a prison again. He'll never hurt another baby again."