Houston Man Sentenced to 55 Years for Murder of 3-Year-Old Nephew

A Houston man was sentenced late Wednesday to 55 years in prison after being convicted of murder for beating his 3-year-old nephew to death, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced.

“Our children are our most vulnerable victims and when they are hurt or killed, we do everything possible to get justice for them,” Ogg said. “No child should ever be treated like this little boy was, and this child abuser absolutely deserves to spend decades, and hopefully the rest of his life, behind bars.”

Melvin O. Morales-Gomez, 31, was convicted by a jury during an eight-day trial for killing 3-year-old Kevin Ramirez-Lara on Jan. 30, 2020.

The toddler was staying with Morales-Gomez and his wife at their home in northwest Houston after the boy’s mother, a Honduran woman who is the defendant’s sister, decided to live with her boyfriend in Mexico.

Morales-Gomez took the child to a small hospital because he was unconscious, but his injuries were so severe Life Flight flew him to the Texas Medical Center’s Memorial Hermann Hospital, a Level 1 trauma center.

At the hospital, medical personnel found that Kevin had a broken jaw, a broken collarbone, and severe bruising on his chest, forearm, and legs. He died from blunt-force trauma to the head and neck.

Officials there called authorities, and the Harris County Sheriff’s Office investigated the death.

Morales-Gomez told investigators that he was home alone with the child and grabbed him so hard that the toddler bit his own lip and began to bleed. He said he then squeezed Kevin tightly and the boy went unconscious. That is when Morales-Gomez took the child to the hospital.

The investigation also showed that Morales-Gomez brutally beat the boy’s 8-year-old brother.

Assistant District Attorneys Edward Appelbaum, who is a chief in the DA’s Child Fatality Division, and Nidia Ventura prosecuted the case.

“We want to thank the jury, who came forward to stand up for this child and be his voice,” Appelbaum said. “There were so many others who abandoned him and failed him, but not the jury.”

The 31-year-old must serve at least half of the 55-year prison sentence before he will be eligible for parole.