Sophia Marie Acosta

 

 

 

 

 

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Remembering Sophia

Sophia Marie Acosta was only three years old. Her family remembered a little girl with an innocent smile, a petite voice, and a loving nature. Her father remembered Sophia as a happy child who made the people around her smile. She was a daughter, a big sister, a granddaughter, a niece, and a little girl whose life had barely begun Sophia lived in Exeter, California, with her mother, Erika Smith, her baby sister, and her mother's boyfriend, Christopher Cheary. She should have been safe in her own home. She was not.

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Sophia's story

On May 7, 2011, emergency responders were called to Sophia's home after the three year old was found unresponsive. Sophia was lying unconscious and naked on the floor when emergency personnel arrived. Medics were able to restore a pulse before rushing her to Kaweah Delta Medical Center. She was later flown to Children's Hospital Central California in critical condition.

The injuries doctors discovered told a horrifying story. A physician specializing in child abuse later testified that Sophia was already brain dead when she arrived at Children's Hospital. She had multiple bruises to her scalp, injuries to her back and buttocks, abdominal trauma, and an injury to her diaphragm. She had suffered catastrophic head trauma. Investigators determined that Sophia had also been sexually assaulted. Sophia's injuries were not the result of an ordinary childhood accident. Her mother initially reported that Sophia had fallen down stairs two days earlier and had fallen onto a toy shopping cart that day. The child-abuse physician testified that neither explanation accounted for the injuries he found on Sophia's body. Prosecutors later alleged that Christopher Cheary sexually assaulted Sophia and brutally beat her until she was unconscious. At trial, evidence showed that Sophia had suffered severe blunt force trauma and extensive bleeding. Sophia never regained her life.  For four days, her tiny body remained on life support. On May 11, 2011, Sophia Marie Acosta died from the injuries inflicted upon her.

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The Warning Signs

Sophia's death was not simply the result of one unexplained injury. There were circumstances surrounding her life that should make adults stop and pay attention. Drugs were being used inside the home. Cheary later acknowledged that he and Sophia's mother had used heroin in the apartment. Sophia herself tested positive for marijuana when she was hospitalized. There were also explanations given for Sophia's injuries that did not match the medical evidence. A fall down the stairs. A fall onto a toy shopping cart. But when a physician trained to recognize child abuse examined Sophia, he testified that those explanations could not account for what had happened to her. Sophia's story is a reminder that unexplained bruising, changing or implausible explanations for injuries, substance abuse in a child's home, and injuries inconsistent with normal childhood accidents should never simply be dismissed. Children Sophia's age often cannot explain everything happening to them.

Adults have to notice.  Adults have to ask questions. Adults have to act.

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Justice for Sophia

In 2016, a Tulare County jury found Christopher Rey Cheary guilty of first degree murder with the special circumstances of torture and sexual penetration. The jury subsequently returned a death verdict, and Cheary was formally sentenced to death for Sophia's murder.

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Person convicted: Christopher Rey Cheary

Relationship to Sophia: Mother's boyfriend

Case outcome: Convicted of first degree murder with special circumstances and sentenced to death in 2016.​

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Forever Remembered

Sophia Marie Acosta was more than the horrific injuries documented in a courtroom. She was more than evidence. More than a criminal case. More than the way she died. Sophia was a three year old little girl remembered for her innocent smile, her petite voice, and the love she showed to those around her. Her father remembered a happy little girl who could make other people smile. She should have grown up alongside her little sister. She should have gone to school, celebrated birthdays, discovered what she loved, made friends, laughed, played, and had the chance to become whoever she wanted to be. Instead, Sophia's life ended before she ever had that chance. Her story is difficult to read. It should be. Because looking away from what happens to abused children does not protect them. Remember Sophia. Remember her name. Sophia Marie Acosta mattered. And she will never be forgotten.