‘Brutal assault’ left toddler with brain damage, CA officials say. Dad sentenced
A father accused of abusing his 14-month-old son, leaving him with “permanent head and brain injuries,” is prison-bound, California officials say.
Cesar Daniel Cabrera Jr., 23, was sentenced to 12 years and eight months in connection with “the violent assault of his 14-month-old son that left the child severely injured,” the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said in a June 5 news release.
“The level of violence inflicted on this defenseless child is nothing short of monstrous,” District Attorney Nathan Hochman said in the release.
On March 22, 2022, an ambulance took the toddler to a hospital for emergency surgery, the Los Angeles Police Department said in an August 2022 news release announcing Cabrera’s arrest.
Investigators determined the boy sustained “permanent head and brain injuries as a result of alleged child abuse,” police said.
The “brutal assault” in North Hollywood left the toddler with life-threatening injuries, according to prosecutors.
A “lengthy investigation” led detectives to identify the boy’s father, Cabrera, as a suspect in the abuse, police said.
When detectives questioned Cabrera, he “confessed and admitted to the abuse,” according to police.
He was arrested on Aug. 23, 2022, police said.
Cabrera’s sentence comes after he pleaded no contest “to one felony count of child abuse under conditions likely to cause great bodily injury,” as well as admitted to a special allegation of “personally inflicting great bodily injury on a child under 5,” prosecutors said.
In addition to his sentence, Cabrera “was ordered to pay full restitution” to his son and adhere to a 10-year criminal protective order, prosecutors said.
This story was originally published June 6, 2025 at 9:53 AM with the headline "‘Brutal assault’ left toddler with brain damage, CA officials say. Dad sentenced."
