PHOENIX – Jorge Alberto Busso Jr. (D.O.B. 6/10/1987) has been sentenced to serve a term of 18 years in the Arizona Department of Corrections for severely beating his girlfriend’s 4-year-old son after the child had soiled himself. The child later died from his injuries. Busso waived his right to trial and pled guilty to one count of Second Degree Murder and one count of Attempted Child Abuse. He will not be eligible for early release under any circumstances and will be placed on lifetime probation following his release.
“Despite his attempt to mislead police and conceal his actions, this defendant has been held accountable and will pay for his crime,” said Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery. “There is simply no excuse for the brutality he inflicted on this innocent child, and no punishment that can ever replace the life that was taken as a result of his actions,” he added.
According to an investigation by Mesa Police, Busso took his girlfriend to work at around 7:00 a.m. on the morning of December 3, 2010. He also dropped off the victim’s 6-year-old brother at school. Upon his return Busso discovered that the four-year-old had defecated himself. Busso later told police this made him very upset. After giving the child a shower, Busso said he placed him into a corner and began to strike him with his hands and then a belt. He also stated he forcefully pushed the child into a corner multiple times causing his head to strike the wall repeatedly. Busso then left the room for about 30 minutes and returned to find the child lying on the floor unresponsive and limp. He placed the child on a bed and left him for an unknown period of time without medical attention.
When the victim’s mother arrived home from work at around 4:00 p.m. that afternoon, she immediately took him to Banner Baywood Medical Center in Mesa. The child was then airlifted to Phoenix Children’s Hospital for emergency surgery to stop a massive brain bleed. He later died from his injuries. Doctors noted that had the defendant sought medical treatment for the victim immediately after causing the head injury, it is likely he could have survived. Both Busso and his girlfriend initially gave misleading statements to police about the events that led to the victim’s injuries.
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