Approximately fifty people, led by the father of three-year-old Vicente—who lost his life on May 2 due to heatstroke after spending the entire night inside a vehicle because his mother had forgotten him there—staged a demonstration this Saturday in Mexicali to demand justice.
The march began at Plaza Centenario in Río Nuevo and concluded at the Center for Social Justice, where the hearing to determine whether to formally indict Roxana—the child’s mother—was taking place. She is charged with the crime of homicide by omission with *dolus eventualis* (indirect intent).
The State Attorney’s Office has stated it will seek the maximum sentence for this crime, which carries a penalty of between eight and 15 years in prison.
The prosecution presented evidence indicating that the defendant had consumed alcohol on the night her son remained trapped for over 12 hours inside the vehicle—strapped into his car seat—amidst temperatures exceeding 35 degrees Celsius. Furthermore, evidence showed she had been active on social media during the early hours of that morning.
During the proceedings, Roxana’s defense team presented new information in favor of the accused. Consequently, the Public Prosecutor’s Office requested a four-hour recess to review the submitted material—a request that was granted by the presiding control judge.
Juan Carlos Meza, the boy’s father, demanded justice for his son’s death in order to prevent similar tragedies from recurring in comparable circumstances.
He asserts that custody of his son was automatically—and without any psychological evaluation—awarded to the mother by the Fifth Family Court Judge, acting under a directive regarding “gender perspective” within the State Judiciary.
Consequently, he informed the media that he intends to champion a legislative initiative to be known as “Vicente’s Law.” This proposal aims to ensure that whenever custody of a minor is sought, an exhaustive investigation is conducted into the home environment of *both* parents—rather than solely that of the parent filing the petition—with the ultimate goal of guaranteeing the greater well-being of the children involved.
