{"id":5817,"date":"2026-07-30T06:36:30","date_gmt":"2026-07-30T06:36:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=5817"},"modified":"2026-07-30T06:36:30","modified_gmt":"2026-07-30T06:36:30","slug":"mother-boyfriend-sentenced-to-prison-for-killing-1-year-old-california-boy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=5817","title":{"rendered":"Mother, boyfriend sentenced to prison for killing 1-year-old California boy"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The mother of a 14-month-old boy and her boyfriend were ordered to state prison on Tuesday, July 28, to serve sentences for causing the death of the toddler who both child-welfare officials and the San Bernardino County Sheriff\u2019s Department had checked on after urgent reports that he was in danger \u2014 but still allowed him to remain in the home.<\/p>\n

Read more Valkyries blow second-half lead, lose in Phoenix without All-Star Williams<\/a><\/p>\n

Superior Court Judge Alexander R. Martinez sentenced Samantha Victoria Garver, 36, to 14 years after she pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter, which carried a term of 11 years, and child abuse causing great bodily injury.<\/p>\n

RELATED: California woman accused of murdering son was sought in 2013 child-abuse case<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sergio Vincent Mena, 34, was sentenced to 21 years to life after his plea to second-degree murder, which has a mandatory 15-years-to-life sentence, and child abuse causing great bodily injury.<\/p>\n

Henry Wheatley Brown died on Oct. 1, 2023, after authorities found the boy burned, bruised and unresponsive at their home in the San Bernardino Mountains community of Sugarloaf on the east end of Big Bear.<\/p>\n

Sentencings often serve a purpose beyond announcing the length of a stay in jail or prison. Victims, friends and family members can tell the judge how the crime affected them. Defendants can apologize or justify their actions. Judges sometimes eviscerate defendants before sending them away. And if the sentence remains in doubt before the judge speaks, defense attorneys and prosecutors will often present one final argument.<\/p>\n

But with the length of sentences locked in, among other reasons, there were no speeches Tuesday in the second-floor courtroom of the San Bernardino Justice Center.<\/p>\n

The District Attorney\u2019s Office did release a statement on Tuesday afternoon.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

\u201cAlthough nothing can bring back baby Henry or erase the suffering he endured, today\u2019s sentences deliver justice and ensure these defendants will never again harm a child,\u201d the statement said. \u201cThe San Bernardino County District Attorney\u2019s Office will honor Henry\u2019s memory by never forgetting him and by continuing to fight for vulnerable children.\u201d<\/p>\n

There was a warrant out for Garver\u2019s arrest for almost 10 years because she failed to serve 100 days in custody and complete a one-year child-abuse treatment program after her 2013 conviction for willful child cruelty. But Children and Family Services would not explain why she was never picked up on the warrant despite having been visited by caseworkers after Henry was born.<\/p>\n

And the Sheriff\u2019s Department has declined to explain what, other than file a report, a deputy did after Henry\u2019s babysitter reported troubling injuries on his head and he promised to investigate the couple.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Henry\u2019s paternal grandmother said in an interview that she called Children and Family Services six times with concerns about Henry\u2019s safety after he was born, only, she said, to be ignored.<\/p>\n

Read more East Bay woman among those to be counted solidly in favor of gig work<\/a><\/p>\n

Stephanie Duncan said in an interview that her 14-year-old daughter frequently babysat Henry, who Duncan described as \u201csweet, snuggly, soft, and loved to be rocked to sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n

Henry would come with few clothes or diapers, she said. His bottles were \u201cdisgustingly filthy.\u201d<\/p>\n

On June 28, 2023, Henry arrived for an extended stay with bruises, Duncan said. She called the Sheriff\u2019s Department two days later. The deputy examined Henry, and Duncan said she showed him photos of the injuries that she shot on the 28th.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe said babies who aren\u2019t walking shouldn\u2019t have those types of injuries,\u201d Duncan said.<\/p>\n

The deputy told Duncan that he would visit Garver and Mena, Duncan said.<\/p>\n

Henry continued to live with his mother and Mena.<\/p>\n

On Sept. 30, 2023, Garver told a Children and Family Services investigator that she left Henry with Mena at the home they shared and went out for the night \u2014 even though she knew Mena had been using methamphetamine and had not slept for two days, a caseworker says in the Children and Family Services case file.<\/p>\n

Mena told an investigator that he left Henry in a bathtub with the water running while he got high, a document says.<\/p>\n

Garver returned home in the morning to find Henry with burns on his penis and lower legs that could have been from being dipped in hot water, according to a Children and Family Services document.<\/p>\n

Garver and Mena provided no care for Henry for 12 hours aside from an antihistamine until they called 911 around 8 p.m., the document says. They told first responders that Henry\u2019s heart had stopped about 20 minutes before, the document adds, but investigators said they believe he had been dead longer.<\/p>\n

Henry\u2019s body had bruises in various stages of healing. He had previously suffered a dislocated arm and several teeth had been knocked out, the document says.<\/p>\n

Read more Gilroy man arrested on suspicion of sexually assaulting a third victim<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Henry Wheatley Brown died on Oct. 1, 2023, after authorities found the boy burned, bruised and unresponsive at their home in the San Bernardino Mountains community of Sugarloaf on the east end of Big Bear.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5816,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5817","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nMother, boyfriend sentenced to prison for killing 1-year-old California boy - Next City Digest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=5817\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Mother, boyfriend sentenced to prison for killing 1-year-old California boy - 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