Zoe Savannah Garcia

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Zoe Garcia mother, Dana Trujillo, often left Zoe's care up to her oldest daughter, Heather, and her daughter‘s live in boyfriend Lamar Roberts, who beat Zoe to death. There had been 14 child abuse and neglect complaints made to at least five Colorado counties and another in New Mexico about Trujillo‘s home. One of Zoe‘s younger siblings had a skull fracture in the summer of 2006. The following year, Zoe told caseworkers that, “My sister beats me up a lot.” Trujillo worked nights and used methamphetamine. But an assessment by Weld County social workers was “inconclusive” for abuse.

 

In the months leading up to Zoe‘s death, a Weld County caseworker documented bruises on her arms, shoulders and face. Some were yellow and fading, while others were dark and fresh. In October 2007 someone complained to the county that Roberts poked the kids in the head with a stick, threw them in the air but didn‘t catch them, and tried to get them to use marijuana. Heather and Lamar had gotten Zoe drunk. When a caseworker went to the home November 5, Trujillo was asleep. She denied drug use. The assessment was founded for a lack of supervision. Zoe died December 6 before a long term caseworker was assigned to the family.

 

On the day of Zoe’s death, a drunken Lamar hit, kicked and body slammed the child for letting Heather in the house even though she didn‘t get the vodka he had demanded. When Lamar kicked Zoe from behind, she fell to the floor and didn‘t get up. Soon after, she wasn‘t breathing. Trujillo and Roberts tried reviving Zoe by putting her under running water and attempting CPR before they called her mother and paramedics. Zoe died at the hospital. She had more than 20 bruises on her body, a broken wrist, bleeding and swelling in the brain, bleeding in her neck muscles and under her spine.

 

Lamar later told his friends that his hands were registered as lethal weapons. Roberts told police he was downstairs playing video games while the sisters wrestled upstairs, but a witness quoted in the affidavit said Roberts told her he had kicked the girl.The witness told police that Roberts said Zoe had told them to stop wrestling. When the witness asked why they didn't stop, he responded, "I don't know; I was drunk."

 

 Heather pleaded guilty to child abuse negligently causing death and was sentenced to 18 years in prison. That sentence will be suspended if she completes a six year youth offender program. Lamar was sentenced to 36 years in prison for a conviction of child abuse causing death.

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://childfatalities.denverpost.com/#id=16&name=GarciaZoe