A mother facing charges of torturing and killing her 8-year-old son shielded her face in court following the discovery of the boy’s body in a cooler filled with ice.
The boy, identified as Isaiah H, was found inside the cooler at a residential complex on October 28, leading to murder and torture charges against his parents and grandmother. The grim discovery was made after a neighbor raised concerns and requested a welfare check.
During her initial court appearance, Destiny Luckie Harrison, 25, the mother of Isaiah, concealed her face, while his father, Daniel Alberto Monzon, 25, and grandmother, Ana Carcamo Zarceno, 45, did not attend the court session.
In addition to the murder and torture charges, the trio was also accused of being accessories after the fact, as stated in a news release from the Los Angeles County District Attorney. Nathan J. Hochman, the District Attorney, remarked on the incident, condemning the alleged abuse inflicted on Isaiah by those who were supposed to care for him.
The arrests and charges were made on October 31, coinciding with the scheduled arraignment in Compton. While Monzon refused to appear in court, Zarceno cited illness as her reason for absence.
Harrison was present in court, but her defense attorney used file folders to shield her face from view, even as she entered the courtroom. The authorities struggled to confirm Isaiah’s age, believed to be eight, due to identification challenges.
Reports indicated that there was no evidence of Isaiah attending school, according to local sources. Following the discovery of the boy’s body, three other children aged 16, 14, and 9 were found at the same residence complex.
One of the children was reported to have witnessed the alleged abuse. Bail for the parents and grandmother was set at $2 million, and if convicted, they could face 32 years to life in a California state prison, according to the District Attorney’s office.
