Couple pleads not guilty to 2012 murder of disabled man in Desert Hot Springs
A woman and her boyfriend, who are accused in the 2012 death of her developmentally disabled twin brother, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to murder and other charges.
Ines Mendez, 27, and Shanen Ryan Riley, 28, were arrested Thursday at their Palm Springs home after being charged with the murder of Mendez’s 22-year-old brother, Antonio, who was extremely underweight when he died and had severe injuries, including broken bones, hemorrhaging and contusions to his internal organs, according to a declaration in support of an arrest warrant.
Mendez and Riley were each charged with murder last week, while Mendez was additionally charged with cruelty to a dependent adult.
Antonio Mendez had been living with his sister and her boyfriend for about a year at an apartment in Desert Hot Springs. He had the mental capacity of a 3-year-old and could not speak, Ines Mendez told police following his death.
Riley called police on Aug. 7, 2012, stating that Antonio was not breathing, the declaration states. He was taken to Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs, where he died about an hour later.
The cause of death was determined to be blunt force trauma. According to the declaration, he weighed 109 pounds and had “visible bruises on his stomach, lacerations to his head, back and knees.” An autopsy revealed “fractured ribs, a severed pancreas and contusions to the back of the lower lobe of the left lung,” as well as hemorrhaging “over his left eye, a laceration to the back of his scalp and (a) subdural hemorrhage to the left side of his head.”
Family members told investigators that Ines Mendez took in her brother in July 2011 without notifying anyone else in the family. They alleged he was “in good health and weighed over 200 pounds before Ines took him,” then kept his whereabouts hidden from them and did not notify them of his death, according to the declaration, which alleges that she received her brother’s $850-per-month Social Security check.
A search of the defendants’ Desert Hot Springs apartment revealed decrepit conditions, according to court documents, which allege the victim’s bedroom contained a twin bed mattress sans box spring, which was “heavily soiled with apparent urine and feces stains,” carpeting that was similarly soiled, and a broken window above the bed.
Antonio was also hospitalized two months prior to his death for a broken jaw, nose and chipped teeth, the declaration states. His sister allegedly told police that he had slipped in the shower and fell often due to clumsiness.
His jaw was wired shut due to the break. Mendez told police that she could only feed him protein drinks and vitamins as a result, accounting for his weight loss.
The District Attorney’s Office said that a recent reevaluation of the evidence and follow-up interviews led to the charges and arrests.
Mendez is being held in lieu of $10 million bail, while Riley is being held on $1 million bail, court records show. They are due back in court September 14 for a felony settlement conference.
More: I-Team and Stands for You investigations
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