Texas, July 06: A US man Victor Prado, 45, has been sentenced to life in prison for the severe abuse of his girlfriend's two young children including withholding food because “it makes the children have to poop.” Prado, who dated the children's mother, allowed them to live in a commercial building in Texas’s Houston where he owned a moving company. He took care of the children, then aged 3 and 4, while their mother worked.

The Independent reported that Prado subjected the children to horrific abuse, including beating, starving, and restraining them with zip ties. A concerned witness confronted Prado after noticing the children appeared "starved." Prado's chilling response was, "Because it makes the children have to poop." The witness also reported seeing the couple leave at night without the children and hearing their screams. US Shocker: Man Sneaks Inside Apartment, Sexually Assaults Sleeping Woman in Bronx; Probe Launched.

The witness's complaint prompted a Child Protective Services investigation. In May 2020, caseworkers removed the children from their mother and took them to Texas Children's Hospital. Medical personnel testified during the trial that the five-year-old boy was severely malnourished, weighing only 32 pounds and resembling a skeleton. He had suffered broken bones and permanent brain damage. The young girl had blunt-force trauma injuries, broken ribs, and intestinal damage. Both children bore ligature marks and pelvic injuries consistent with severe car accidents. US Shocker: Man Beheads Tech CEO After Stealing USD 4,00,000 From Him To Hide Theft From Girlfriend.

Doctors classified the children's injuries as "child torture." Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg condemned Prado's actions, stating, "Our children are our most valuable resource and our most vulnerable victims. This man intentionally tortured two little kids, and now, hopefully, he will spend the rest of his life in prison."

Prado was convicted on two counts of injury to a child causing serious bodily injury. He will serve two life sentences concurrently and must serve at least 30 years before he can seek parole.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 06, 2024 01:28 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).