Texas dad sentenced to six years in prison after beating two-year-old son for acting ‘gay’
Francisco Ricard Soell Texas is a 23-year-old father of five. (YouTube)
A 23-year-old man and father of five was sentenced to six years in prison after he severely beat his two-year-old son because he thought the child was gay.
Francisco Ricardo Sotello Baez from Texas was charged with family violence and assault after he admitted to punching his son in the face multiple times.
The boy survived the beating but was severely hurt and found bleeding from the nose after the attack.
However, this was not an isolated incident. Baez said he regularly physically disciplined the child in order to “toughen him up” as he was concerned about his son acting feminine.
Acting feminine in this case meant playing with Barbies and kitchen sets over robots, cars, and footballs that Baez bought for him, according to his testimony in court.
He added that he was “disappointed” and fearful that his first son might be gay as a result.
Judge Stephanie Boyd of the 187th District Court in Bexar County said: “Basically, you beat up a two-year-old because you think your two-year-old is gay, and you wanna toughen up a two-year-old. He’s two!”
Baez requested leniency and a second chance to prove himself in court, expressing remorse for his actions.
He explained that drugs and alcohol impaired his judgement and said that he wanted to take care of his family now that he has turned his life around.
However, despite this plea, Judge Boyd agreed with the prosecution that a six-year prison sentence was appropriate due to the severity of the crime and the long-term impact on the child.
The judge also cited previous incidents of domestic violence, including assaulting the child’s mother, which led to Baez being under probation and forced to take courses on anger management to address his violent behaviour.
Following sentencing, Baez is barred from contacting his son or any of his other children, as well as any minors during and after his prison term.
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