Recent testimony in the trial of a man accused of beating his former girlfriend’s son to death has not been favorable for the defense.
On Nov. 23, the jury heard testimony from the sister of 4-year-old Diego Calles, who died in July after allegedly suffering injuries at the hands of James Lujan, 30, of Lompoc.
The sister, testifying in Santa Maria Superior Court via live video feed, told jurors she witnessed Lujan hit her brother on numerous occasions, and detailed how Lujan forced them both to stand in the corner while he poured hot sauce down their throats.
She also testified that Lujan beat her brother prior to his death.
Lujan is charged with murder, assault on a child causing death, and torture. He is also on trial for allegedly torturing the 17-month-old daughter of another previous girlfriend, as well as one count of domestic violence against Calles’s mother, Meagan Davis.
The sister’s testimony comes a day after Davis testified that shortly before her son died, he became sick, vomiting numerous times. She said Lujan was angry that Callas was “faking it,” and punished him by making him stand still with his hands over his head.
Emergency personnel responded to a motel room in the 800 block of North H Street in Lompoc, where Lujan, Davis, Callas, and his sister were staying. Calles was taken to Lompoc Valley Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
After Calles’s death, Davis told investigators Lujan wasn’t involved.
Davis has already pleaded guilty to a felony child abuse charge because of her failure to protect her son. She was sentenced to a year in county jail, a year in a residential drug treatment program, and five years of probation.
The assistant chief medical examiner for Ventura County, Dr. Janice Frank, who performed the autopsy on Calles, testified Nov. 16 that the bruises over his body were likely the result of several days of abuse, and he ultimately died from blunt force abdominal injuries.
Frank testified that the fatal wound was a rupture in Callas’ small intestine, which she said was caused by force that pushed his small intestine against his spine.
Lujan’s trial continues Nov. 24.
This article appears in Nov 25 – Dec 2, 2010.
