Teen charged with sexually assaulting, killing his 2-year-old cousin 'Baby Jaxon'

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- A California teen was charged with sexually assaulting and sidesplitting his 2-year-old relative and foster member successful April, the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office said Monday.

Family and friends were distraught astatine a tribunal proceeding Monday, weeks aft Baby Jaxon was recovered unresponsive and injured successful his crib connected Easter Sunday successful San Jose.

Jaxon's origin of decease is inactive nether probe aft passing distant successful the infirmary days later.

"I can't ideate what this saccharine small babe went through," Evangeline Dominguez-Estrada said. "Who tin perceive a babe crying and proceed to harm them, fto unsocial termination them?"

Police accidental Jaxon's then-17-year-old foster brother, his cousin, had sexually and physically abused the toddler, starring to respective suspicious traumatic injuries.

"He was lone two, and helium did not merit this," Dominguez-Estrada said.

Monday morning, the fishy was formally charged with murder, arsenic good arsenic aggregate different felonies, including kid battle causing decease and intersexual assault.

"This was a 2-year-old kid who was horribly abused and viciously murdered," Rosen said. "And we privation to marque definite that the level of accountability is the close level."

Evidence suggests that Jaxon had been repeatedly sexually and physically abused by his relative aft being placed with the household by the region successful February.

Our partners astatine the Mercury News study the cousin's parent besides had a erstwhile condemnation of felony kid endangerment successful 2014 - a transgression that should person disqualified her from being a foster parent.

County Spokesperson Peter Gallotta told ABC affiliate KGO successful a connection the Department of Family and Children Services is conducting its ain probe portion requesting that the California Department of Social Services bash the same.

Gallotta added, "The region is committed to swiftly investigating each facet of this horrific calamity and publically sharing the results of these investigations erstwhile disposable and to the grade allowable by law."

DA Rosen says helium volition analyse whether oregon not anyone other is liable for Jaxon's death, adjacent the region helium represents.

"This is the 3rd kid successful the past mates of years nether the attraction and custody of the Department of Family and Children Services who has been murdered," Rosen said. "Change needs to come, and it needs to travel accelerated - and it needs to hap now."

The fishy has since turned 18, and Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen is seeking to effort him arsenic an adult.

The fishy successful this lawsuit volition beryllium backmost successful tribunal connected May 21.

At that time, the probation section volition marque its recommendations connected whether this lawsuit should beryllium tried successful big court.