Victoria Moreno: Aunt of 3-year-old child who died after being pushed into Lake Michigan charged with murder
Update: Victoria Moreno was initially charged with attempted first-degree murder and aggravated battery to a child under 13, but the charge was upgraded to first-degree murder after her three-year-old nephew died. She had pushed her nephew Josiah Brown off Chicago’s Navy Pier and watched him drown in Lake Michigan on September 19.
In bond court Tuesday, October 4, Moreno’s attorney claimed she did not intentionally push her nephew into the water, but was instead standing over the toddler when he fell. Moreno’s attorney said Moreno has been diagnosed with anxiety, depression and bipolar disorder. However, the judge determined Moreno is a “danger to the community” and ordered her to be held without bail, reports Fox32 Chicago.
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CHICAGO, ILLINOIS: A 3-year-old boy who was pushed into Lake Michigan off Navy Pier by his aunt, Victoia Moreno, has died, a family source confirmed. The toddler died at 10.16 am on Sunday, September 25.
Moreno pushed the child to the lake on Monday, September 19, and did not even attempt to rescue him. She has been charged with attempted first-degree murder and aggravated violence. The child arrived at Lurie Children’s Hospital in very critical condition following multiple heart attacks and seizures and even went through a cardiac arrest.
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As per Wgntv, the child was in the water for about 30 minutes before he was rescued. According to Chicago Sun Times, the prosecutors stated, "Moreno stole the keys to the family’s truck and snuck out of the residence without anyone knowing that she had left." Later, another aunt did not hear the boy talking “and became alarmed." That’s when she noticed Moreno and the boy were gone and the truck was missing.
Moreno initially said the boy was “acting up” so she “let go of his shirt and [he] fell in the water.” However, a surveillance video indicated that the aunt leaned down, picked him up with both hands, and threw him into the water. Prosecutors also claimed, "Not once during any of these events did the defendant scream for help, call for help, ask for help or try herself to help."
According to the Chicago Sun Times, Moreno was denied bail at her court hearing despite the defense arguing that she suffers from mental health issues. Judge Susanna Ortiz described her act as "intentionally brutal and heinous." According to the child's family, the father was unable to visit his son in the hospital since he was a patient at Loyola Medical Center awaiting a heart transplant.
Assistant State’s Attorney Lorraine Scaduto stated that Moreno was taking medicine for "mental health concerns", adding that she was not permitted to operate a motor vehicle due to a concerning occurrence a week prior in which she fled the scene with many children. A GoFundMe campaign is arranged to meet the expenses of the funeral of the child. According to the campaign note, the boy "was in a very tragic incident on Monday the 19th. He was pulled from the water at Navy Pier. If you have seen the news, he is in very critical condition and any kind of help will be very appreciated!! Please help JoJo and his family with any kind of help, share, prayers, or donation. Thank you!!"
If you or anyone you know suspects child abuse, you are urged to immediately call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential and the hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.