Vanessa Cervantes Rangel, 41, pleaded guilty Friday to first-degree murder in the death of her five-year-old son. She also admitted assault on a child resulting in death, torture and four misdemeanor counts of child abuse.
Rangel entered her plea during a pretrial hearing before Riverside County Superior Court Judge Kristi Hester at the Larson Justice Center in Indio, according to mynewsla.com. Court minutes did not say whether the plea was negotiated in advance with the District Attorney's Office. A sentencing date had not been announced, and Rangel was being held without bail at the Robert Presley Jail, the outlet reported.
The case began with an emergency call on September 8, 2022. Deputies responding to a report of a child in medical distress found the boy unconscious and gravely injured at Rangel's home in Coachella, and paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene, KESQ reported.
What investigators and witnesses described
Detectives arrested Rangel and her mother, Hilaria Cervantes Rangel, on September 13, five days after the boy's death. Her sister, Miriam Silva, surrendered on September 16. At a November 2022 preliminary hearing, evidence presented included a split lip, a bump on the boy's head and about 1.5 inches of skin missing from his right arm. Prosecutors also alleged that Vanessa Rangel abused her other children.
Testimony at that hearing, as recounted by KESQ, included accounts from surviving children that their mother often beat the boy and kicked him hard enough to make him fall. Other testimony described Hilaria Rangel treating his wounds, changing his diaper, carrying him and wiping away his tears so his mother would not see that he had been crying.
Rangel’s mother and sister face separate trials
Hilaria Rangel and Silva are each charged with first-degree murder. Hilaria Rangel also faces four counts of child abuse, while Silva faces one, according to mynewsla.com. Both are free on $75,000 bonds and are scheduled to go to trial beginning January 15, the outlet reported. Vanessa Rangel's plea resolves her charges separately.
A judge previously found sufficient evidence for Hilaria Rangel and Silva to stand trial on all their charges, The Desert Sun reported. Prosecutors have argued that Hilaria Rangel provided medical aid while knowing abuse by Vanessa Rangel would continue. They also alleged Silva had a legal duty to care for the child and committed homicide by omission. Silva's and her mother's defense attorneys have argued that neither woman actively participated in the abuse and that they are not liable for murder.
What the guardianship testimony established
Preliminary-hearing testimony indicated that Silva became the boy's legal guardian, as well as guardian of one sibling, in 2019, while the grandmother became guardian of the other children. Vanessa Rangel had lost custody after county Child Protective Services opened an investigation but retained visitation access, according to the same account of the hearing.
Guardianship does not determine visitation terms
General guidance from the Superior Court of California, County of San Bernardino, says a probate court may require a guardian to allow contact between a child and the child’s parents, and may restrict visits, including by requiring supervision. That guidance describes options available in a guardianship but does not establish the terms of the guardianships in this case; the hearing testimony that Rangel retained visitation access does not, by itself, specify any restrictions or supervision.
California's torture statute defines the crime as inflicting great bodily injury with the intent to cause cruel or extreme pain and suffering for revenge, extortion, persuasion or a sadistic purpose, according to California Legislative Information. Rangel pleaded guilty to a torture count as part of her case, along with first-degree murder and the other charges.
