A 19-year-old Chelsea man is being held without bail after prosecutors say he carried out two brutal attacks on young children inside his home, including his own toddler son.
Kener Bautista‑Zepeda of Chelsea was arraigned Friday in Suffolk Superior Court on a dozen charges tied to what prosecutors describe as violent assaults on two children living in his residence. He pleaded not guilty and was ordered held without bail until a dangerousness hearing scheduled for next Thursday.
Assistant District Attorney Allyson Portney told the court the charges stem from two separate incidents this spring and followed a grand jury indictment returned on May 20. Bautista‑Zepeda faces counts that include assault and battery, reckless child endangerment, and strangulation and suffocation, 12 domestic-assault-related charges in all, according to NBC Boston.
Prosecutors say video shows violent attacks
Prosecutors allege that on March 11, Bautista‑Zepeda used a cigarette lighter to burn his 2‑year‑old son's upper back, leaving a mark about the size of a nickel, according to a police report cited in court. A second episode on April 3 was allegedly caught on camera.
In that roughly 30‑second recording, prosecutors say, Bautista‑Zepeda can be seen lifting and throwing his 3‑year‑old nephew, then punching the boy several times before pressing his body weight over the child's mouth and nose for about 19 seconds while the child struggles to breathe. When the boy's mother later confronted Bautista‑Zepeda about the video, he allegedly took off and shut off his cellphone. About a month later, authorities located him hiding in woods in Loudoun County, Virginia.
Portney described the allegations in court as "two crimes of extreme violence against children," according to NBC Boston.
How dangerousness hearings work
Under Massachusetts law, prosecutors can seek to hold a defendant before trial when the alleged offenses involve physical force or abuse. The process is governed by Chapter 276, Section 58A of the General Laws. That statute requires an evidentiary hearing at which both prosecution and defense may present witnesses and other evidence before a judge decides whether pretrial detention is necessary, as outlined in the state statute.
Next court dates
Bautista‑Zepeda will remain in custody until the dangerousness hearing next Thursday, when a judge will determine whether he will stay locked up while the case moves forward. After that hearing, the prosecution will continue in Suffolk Superior Court.
