Cristian Fernandez is only 12 years old. And if Florida prosecutor Angela Corey has her way, he’ll never leave jail again.
Cristian hasn’t had an easy life. He’s the same age now as his mother was when he was born. He’s a survivor of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse. In 2010, Cristian watched his stepfather commit suicide to avoid being charged with abusing Cristian.
Last January, Cristian was wrestling with his 2-year-old brother, David, and accidentally broke David’s leg. Despite this, their mother left Cristian with his brother again in March. While the two boys were alone, Cristian allegedly pushed his brother against a bookcase, and David sustained a head injury. After their mother returned home, she waited six hours before taking David to the hospital. David eventually died.
Now Cristian is being charged with first degree murder — as an adult. He’s the youngest person in the history of his Florida county to receive this charge, and his next hearing is scheduled for tomorrow.
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The whole story is heartbreaking. And you know what part really gets me? When the mother returned to find her two year old very injured, she cleaned him up and got online- she googled his injuries and tried to figure out how to treat them, and she checked her bank account, and didn’t take him to the hospital until six hours later.
The prosecutor claimed that if this woman hadn’t been irresponsibly surfing the web, her child would probably be alive. But you know what? She was probably trying to figure out if she could AFFORD to take her injured kid to the freaking hospital.
This is what it looks like when society fails someone and then blames the victim.
(Full story can be found at http://www.viewshound.com/politics-usa/2011/10/4/cristian-fernandez-a-child-not-a-pawn)
(via feistyfeminist)
