HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — A couple charged in connection to the death of their 1-year-old child is scheduled to go to trial later this month.
On Monday morning in the Superior Court of Guam, Giltinan Ramangmou and Paul John Tuncap Cruz appeared for a status hearing.
The pair is charged in connection to the death of their 1-year-old son, who was discovered by police a month ago to be beaten to death. Ramangmou was charged with murder while Tuncap was charged with child abuse and failure to provide assistance.
According to court documents, Cruz allegedly heard the child crying and saw Ramangmou punching the child, who was missing his front teeth and his eyes were swollen shut. Cruz told Ramangmou to call the police. The Guam Police Department didn’t arrive until three hours later.
Judge Vernon Perez on Monday explained the trial would start in about two to two-and-a-half weeks and sought any information new information from the attorneys.
Prosecutor Leah Diaz-Aguon said, in response, that all evidence had been turned over to the defense except an autopsy and a toxicology report.
Ramangmou’s attorney, William Bischoff from the Public Defender Service Corp., who had consistently been requesting the turnover of discovery in past hearings, said he was happy to hear he received the evidence. However, Bischoff was concerned about the lack of an autopsy report considering, according to him, Child Protective Services had received the autopsy report.
“Whatever they have, we want to see it now,” Bischoff said. “We’re very happy that they’re doing a very thorough investigation, but I need to see it now.”
Diaz-Aguon said the autopsy and toxicology report is on the “forensic examiner’s time” but will send it to the defense when it’s ready.
Still concerned, Bischoff wanted to know what Child Protective Services received. Perez said he’d look into reconciling and requesting the prosecution turn it over “with haste.”
As for Cruz, his attorney, Tyler Scott from the Alternate Public Defender division, explained they will “wait patiently” for the remaining discovery to be turned over.
‘On notice’
Before the hearing came to a close, Bischoff put the prosecution “on notice” for what they could expect at Ramangmou’s trial.
“We intend to offer several character witnesses, maybe about a dozen character witnesses, so the government is free to try to find anybody to say a bad word about Ms. Ramangmou. We’re going to rely very heavily on character witnesses,” Bischoff said.
“You’re on notice,” Bischoff added.
Charges
Ramangmou’s charges stem from allegedly punching her 1-year-old son, who was later found by police to be pulseless, breathless and with multiple severe head injuries.
When met by the officers, Ramangmou was allegedly crying hysterically and yelling, “I should’ve taken him to the hospital, I’m so sorry, God!”
Ramangmou, according to court documents, told police the child was on the bed but that he had fallen on his face. She said she treated the child by putting ice on his head.
Officers saw the boy had multiple severe head injuries and that rigor mortis and livor mortis had set in, which suggested several hours had passed before the authorities were contacted. The court complaint stated that GPD was contacted about three hours after Cruz told Ramangmou to call.
Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Jeffrey Nine also conducted an initial assessment of the child’s injuries and found them to be consistent with “battered baby syndrome,” and he said the child had injuries similar to that of a “child involved in a vehicle collision at a high rate of speed,” the complaint said.
Giltinan Ramangmou
Paul John Tuncap Cruz
