A Houston father will spend four decades in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of injury to a child, causing serious bodily injury in the deaths of his six-week-old twin daughters, Massail and Mirena. The plea deal for 23-year-old Fernando Vega means he will serve two concurrent 40-year sentences instead of facing a capital murder trial in a case that began when the infants were found dead in southeast Houston last October. Court filings say Vega will be moved to a Texas state prison to begin serving his time, closing a chapter in a case that has drawn months of intense local attention.
According to the Houston Chronicle, Vega entered his guilty plea to two counts of injury to a child causing serious bodily injury as part of a negotiated agreement with the Harris County District Attorney's Office. The deal was locked in the concurrent 40-year terms, and court records show he will now be transferred into the state prison system to serve out his sentence.
Autopsy Findings and Evidence
An autopsy by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences found both infants had severe blunt-force injuries and signs of malnourishment, according to a City of Houston press release. The release and related charging documents detail fractures to the twins' legs, clavicles and ribs, and note that one of the girls suffered a head fracture. Officials said some of the injuries appeared older while others were more recent, a pattern prosecutors highlighted when deciding how to charge the case.
What Police Say Happened
Investigators say Vega told them he discovered the twins unresponsive after dropping the mother at work and leaving the babies with his grandmother, and that he and another family member tried CPR while waiting for first responders, according to ABC13. Court documents and reporting by People also note the twins had not received routine follow-up medical care after their premature births.
Plea, Charges and Next Steps
Vega and the twins' mother, Angelina Calderon, were first charged in April 2024 with causing serious bodily injury, and a grand jury later returned capital murder indictments against Vega in October 2024, according to the Houston Chronicle. Prosecutors ultimately agreed to the plea that resulted in the 40-year sentences. Court records show Calderon pleaded guilty in July to failing to provide adequate protection, nutrition and medical care for the twins and, as of this week, had not yet been sentenced.
Legal Context
Under Texas law, injury to a child that results in serious bodily injury is a first-degree felony punishable by five to 99 years or life in prison, according to the Texas Penal Code, Section 22.04. Capital murder, which can apply when multiple victims are killed or when a child under 10 is killed, is defined in Section 19.03 of the Texas Penal Code and can carry life without parole or the death penalty when the state seeks it. Those statutes help explain why prosecutors initially pursued upgraded charges before accepting Vega's plea.
Family members told ABC13 they want both parents held responsible. "They need to both be held accountable," Sarah Calderon said, capturing the deep anger and grief that have surrounded the twins' deaths.
