A FOUR-year-old boy who starved to death was filmed begging for food just days before he died, harrowing footage has shown.
Benjamin Cervera weighed just 28lbs when he died on August 17, 2021.
Heartbreaking cell phone footage showed Benjamin Cervera begging his dad for food just days before he died[/caption]
Other surveillance footage from inside the little boy’s home showed him scouring for food in the middle of the night[/caption]
Benjamin’s dad Brandon Cervera was found not guilty on Wednesday of causing his son’s death[/caption]
His stepmom, Miranda Casarez had taken him to the emergency room that day, where medics found the tiny child unconscious, emaciated and covered in bruises. He died shortly after.
Casarez, 25, was found guilty in April and sentenced to 25 years in prison for injury to a child by omission causing serious bodily injury.
Benjamin’s dad, Brandon Cervera, meanwhile, sobbed in court on Wednesday as he was found not guilty in his child’s death.
It came after footage taken just days before his son died showed Benjamin begging his father for food.
The video, recorded on a cell phone and played during Cervera’s trial in Bexar County, Texas, showed the little boy looking up to the camera eyes-wide, his hands folded against his emaciated chest.
During the clip, Benjamin can be heard asking, “Dad, dad, can I have bread?”
Other footage played during the trial showed the four-year-old hunting for food at home, as well as crying while trapped in his bedroom.
One devastating clip from early 2021 showed him rummaging through cabinets and opening the fridge in the middle of the night.
The little boy could be seen taking fruit snacks, a Jell-O cup, cookies, and milk while looking towards the camera.
The cellphone footage was obtained by police off Benjamin’s stepmother’s device, while the surveillance footage was taken from cameras placed inside the apartment, according to Detective Lawrence Saiz of the San Antonio Police Department.
During Cervera’s trial, the state argued that cameras pointed towards the children’s rooms and kitchens in his house, claiming the defendant and his ex-wife, Casarez, could see if Benjamin was sneaking out in the middle of the night to get food.
It also said the defendant would threaten his son with squats every time he asked for bread.
Prosecutors said Cervera would eventually go on to lock the cabinets, making it harder for Benjamin to get food.
And in one text exchange with his ex-wife, Cervera allegedly told her to just “give him bread,” adding, “he don’t need to eat dinner.”
The messages came after she told Cervera he had been begging to eat all day.
Cervera’s lawyers argued the message was taken out of context, insisting the dad said not to give Benjamin dinner because he had already eaten a whole loaf of bread.
They also argued squats were used as a positive reinforcement, claiming they would help make the boy stronger.
The Bexar County Chief Medical Examiner, Dr. Kimberley Molina, said Benjamin only weighed 28 pounds at the time of his death and hadn’t grown in 10 months, ABC affiliate KSAT reports.
But after expert witness Dr. Erik Christensen, a retired Utah medical examiner, gave examples of other potential causes of death -including suffocation, seizure, heart-related issues or untreated diabetes – Cervera’s lawyers argued these could not be ruled out.
Cervera was found not guilty of causing serious bodily injury in his son’s death on Wednesday.
Miranda Casarez, meanwhile, was sentenced to 25 years in prison for injury to a child by omission causing serious bodily injury.
In a statement after the verdict, Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales said, “We respect the very difficult decision made by the jury in this case.
“I want to take a moment to acknowledge the tragic loss of Benjamin.
“Our hearts go out to the family as well as those members of law enforcement, the Bexar County District Attorney’s victim advocates, prosecutors, investigators and all who worked to see that Benjamin’s death was not in vain and that this community will not forget his tragically untimely loss.”
Benjamin could be seen taking fruit and cookies in one gut-wrenching clips shown during his father’s trial[/caption]
Brandon Lee Cervera pictured withhis son Benjamin Kain Cervera[/caption]
