Wednesday, December 20, 2017

Preliminary hearing scheduled for accused killer of three-year-old Jonathan Munoz-Bilbrey

A 10 a.m. February 1 preliminary hearing has been scheduled before Judge Joseph Hensley in Jasper County Circuit Court for Leonard Valdez, 21, Joplin, who is charged with second degree murder and felony child abuse in connection with the November 12 death of three-year-old Jonathan Munoz-Bilbrey.

The three-year-old was taken to Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City after he suffered brain injuries, facial bruising and a laceration at his home at 1502 S. Michigan Avenue November 10.

The boy died 22 days after the Joplin Police Department arrested Valdez for domestic assault at the same addres, 1502 S. Michigan Avenue, where police say the child abuse took place. The victim was the boy's mother, Natasha Michelle Bilbrey, 22, according to the JPD incident report.

Valdez is being held without bond in the Jasper County Jail.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Such a preventable tragedy. The mother should be prosecuted as well. She knowingly allowed an abusive person around her child. It makes me so angry that she didn't care about herself, but especially that she didn't care enough about her child.
Poor precious baby will never have to suffer again, he is with God.

Anonymous said...

For some odd reason you assume that you know anything about her or what she is going through but whoever you are just think what if you were in her shoes..... Yeah you would be going through it just like she is but maybe one day you might see keeping your opinion to yourself might be the best thing.

Anonymous said...

The fact remains that her child is dead because she left him with a man that had already been arrested and jailed for abusing him just a couple of weeks earlier.
A mother is supposed to protect and care for her child.
Why would she allow that person back into your home? Why would she leave her child with him?
She is partially responsible because she put the child in harms way.
Period.

Anonymous said...

The boy was not abused in that case. I think you should get the facts straight before making any comments. Leonard had a one way ticket back to Denver on the same day because things were not working out. Read the reports before assuming anything. It just make you look like an unreliable person

Anonymous said...

It is a mother's responsibility to protect her child. When you allow an abusive person into your home and your child ends up dead as a result of that, it is your fault.
My original statement stands.
She should be prosecuted too.

Anonymous said...

Who bailed him out of jail for assaulting the woman/the little boys mother, three weeks earlier?
Why did she let him come back to the house?