West Valley man admits to killing girlfriend’s child in disturbing abuse case

SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah man has pleaded guilty to killing his girlfriend’s child more than five years ago in a disturbing case of child abuse.

Isaiah Weaver, now 22, pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of child abuse homicide, a first-degree felony, and intentional child abuse, a second-degree felony, as part of a plea deal. He was originally charged with aggravated murder, a first-degree felony, for causing the death of 21-month-old Jaycieion Sanchez, whom he had been babysitting, in addition to two counts of child abuse, a second-degree felony.

Weaver said he had been spinning the 21-month-old “very fast” and throwing him in the air when the child hit his head on either the ceiling or the floor — which caused his death, according to a statement he signed supporting his guilty plea.

But charging documents describe more disturbing abuse.

The baby sustained severe head trauma; his body, head and mouth were covered in bruises; and his lower back, buttocks and the backs of his thighs were marked with lines that appeared to have been inflicted by a hard, thin object, charges state.

Jaycieion died of blunt force injury. An autopsy revealed damage to the muscles beneath the linear marks suggested the strikes were very hard, according to the charges, as well as head trauma indicative of being hit and shaken, bruising all over the baby’s head, and injury to the baby’s back.

A 5-year-old sibling told police Weaver had been disciplining the two younger children by heating a wire hanger with a lighter and then striking them with it, according to the charges. Doctors reported finding patterns of bruising on a 2-year-old sibling’s buttocks and the back of his thighs, as well as a healing burn making a similar pattern on his chest.

Weaver had been living with his girlfriend, 22-year-old Gena Sanchez, her three children and her mother in West Valley City. For about two weeks, Weaver, who was 17 at the time, had been tasked with babysitting the three children while she was at work, including dropping off a 5-year-old child for school and caring for the two younger children at home.

Police were called to the home on Jan. 16, 2018, and found that Jaycieion “had been deceased for some time” and his body felt cold and showed signs of bruising “all over his body.” Officers also found fresh blood droplets on the walls and ceiling.

Weaver instructed Sanchez to call police after he told his girlfriend over the phone that Jaycieion was not moving, was limp and was cold — however he said the child was breathing, according to charging documents.

Sanchez told officers he had spun the boys in circles for about five minutes, the child had gotten a nose bleed, and then slept for most of the morning. He said a few hours later the child’s arms were stiff and he wasn’t moving so he put him in cold water in the bathtub to try to wake him up before calling 911.

During that interview, he admitted to hitting two of the three children “too hard” with a hanger the day before and causing welts.

Surveillance from an elementary school earlier that day showed Weaver taking the oldest child to school with the 21-month-old in a stroller, and the school nurse reported she had noticed Jaycieion’s color was off and told Weaver he should take the child to a doctor. Investigators said the nurse observed bruising and did not feel a pulse on Jaycieion’s wrist.

Weaver will be sentenced on Nov. 21. The plea agreement says prosecutors will recommend consecutive prison sentences for each count.

Sanchez was also charged with two counts of child abuse, a second-degree felony, accusing her of seeing signs of abuse in the children but not reporting them. Charging documents say Sanchez had seen multiple marks on her children both on the day before the police were called and the day they were called.

Sanchez will also be in court on Nov. 21 for a disposition hearing.