Julian Adams-Lacas

 

 

 

 

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Remembering Julian

Julian M. Adams-LaCas was born on July 13, 2008, in Denver, Colorado. He was a little boy with bright blue eyes who entered the world facing challenges from the very beginning. Julian was born with a cleft lip and palate, which made feeding and getting proper nourishment more difficult. But those medical challenges did not define him. Julian was a baby boy, a son, a little brother, and part of a family that included his older brothers Ryan and Tyler and his older sister Dylann. ​He had only six months in this world far too little time for his family to discover the person he would have become. Julian was more than the circumstances of his death. His life mattered.

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Julian's Story:

Julian's mother, Krista Adams, described a troubled home before her son's death. She said she had experienced domestic violence from Julian's father, Justin Taylor, while she was pregnant. She also described Taylor as having problems with rage and said he could become frustrated while feeding Julian. That detail mattered because feeding Julian required additional patience due to his cleft lip and palate. In February 2009, Julian was left alone with his father while his mother went job hunting with her sister. When his mother returned, something was terribly wrong. She said that when she picked Julian up, he made an unusual muffled cry. He could no longer hold his head up, and his legs had become stiff. Julian had suffered devastating trauma to his head and neck. His injuries were attributed to violent shaking or a combination of shaking and impact. He was only six months old. Taylor gave multiple explanations for what had happened. At one point, he blamed Julian's 19 month old sister, claiming she had dropped a book on Julian or stepped on his head. In another account, Taylor used an expletive while referring to his infant son and claimed Julian had kicked him, causing him to accidentally drop the baby. He later told police that Julian may have forcefully fallen from his arms. The explanations changed. Julian's injuries remained.  The six month old baby ultimately died from blunt trauma to his head and neck. On February 4, 2009, Julian M. Adams-LaCas died at Children's Hospital in Aurora, Colorado.

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Justice for Julian:​

Person convicted: Justin Michael Taylor

Relationship to Julian: Father

Conviction: Child abuse resulting in death

Sentence: 48 years in prison

No prison sentence could return the six month old baby whose life had been taken or give Julian's family the years with him they should have had.

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Forever Remembered

Julian's family laid him to rest following funeral services on February 12, 2009, in Brighton, Colorado. He left behind a family who loved him, including his two older brothers, Ryan and Tyler, and his older sister, Dylann.

Julian had only six months in this world. There were so many parts of him that his family never had the opportunity to discover and so many memories they should have had the chance to make with him. But six months was still a life. And Julian's life mattered. He was a baby boy with bright blue eyes. He was a son, a little brother, a grandson, and a member of a family whose lives were forever changed by his loss. The violence that ended Julian's life is part of his story, and it deserves to be told truthfully. But it does not define who Julian was. His name was Julian M. Adams-LaCas. Abuse Angels remembers Julian for the little boy he was, for the family who loved him, and for the life he deserved the opportunity to live.

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http://childfatalities.denverpost.com/#id=29&name=LacasJulian

February 5, 2008 - May 11, 2011

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Age: 6 Months

Location: Westminster, Colorado

 Suspect in death: Justin Taylor, Father