Boyfriend Convicted of Murder After 2-Year-Old Dies in His Care — He Claimed the Child Choked on a Meatball

A Kansas man told his girlfriend that her 2-year-old son had choked on a meatball and stopped breathing. But an autopsy revealed devastating injuries that raised serious questions about his explanation. Nearly seven years after the toddler’s death, a jury has delivered its verdict.

A Babysitting Session Ends in Tragedy

On September 29, 2019, emergency crews were called to a home on West Munnell Avenue in Wichita, Kansas, after receiving a report that a young child was not breathing.

The child, Jacob Aviles, was only 2 years old.

His mother, Stephanie Aviles, had left him in the care of her boyfriend, Bernardo Gonzalez-Mejia, while she went out with her daughter to meet a relative.

According to investigators, Jacob had been sitting at the kitchen table eating when his mother left. Later, Gonzalez-Mejia contacted her with a frightening explanation: he claimed the toddler had choked on a meatball and fainted.

He reportedly told her that Jacob was becoming yellow and remained unresponsive despite his attempts to remove food from the child’s mouth.

Aviles called 911 and rushed home. But when emergency personnel arrived, their efforts to save the little boy were unsuccessful. Jacob was pronounced dead at the scene.

At first, the explanation appeared to center on a possible choking incident. However, the findings from the medical examination would soon point investigators in a very different direction.

The Autopsy Reveals Disturbing Injuries

A subsequent autopsy revealed extensive bruising across Jacob’s head, arms, legs, abdomen, and back.

The toddler had also suffered internal bleeding in his abdomen, along with multiple lacerations to the mesentery, the tissue that helps anchor the intestines inside the body.

The medical examiner determined that Jacob died from blunt-force trauma and classified his death as a homicide.

The injuries were inconsistent with the explanation that he had simply choked on food and fainted.

Investigators then focused on Gonzalez-Mejia, who initially denied striking the child. According to court records cited by Law&Crime, he later admitted that he had spanked Jacob with a belt over his diaper the previous evening because the boy was not eating.

That admission became one part of a case that would eventually lead to a murder conviction.

Were There Warning Signs Before Jacob’s Death?

Investigators also heard troubling allegations about Jacob’s condition in the months before his death.

His mother told police that the toddler repeatedly developed new bruises and welts after being left alone with Gonzalez-Mejia. She said her boyfriend had offered explanations for the injuries, including incidents that reportedly resulted in hospital visits.

“Bernardo would explain it away,” Aviles told police, according to the report.

Prosecutors later argued that Aviles knew Gonzalez-Mejia was abusing her son but continued leaving the child in his care.

In July 2025, Aviles was convicted of first-degree murder and related charges in connection with Jacob’s death. She was sentenced in September 2025 to life in prison, with the possibility of parole after 25 years, plus an additional 41 months to be served consecutively.

Her case proceeded separately from the prosecution of Gonzalez-Mejia.

Jury Deliberates for Just Three Hours

On October 7, 2026, after a seven-day trial, a Sedgwick County jury found Gonzalez-Mejia guilty of first-degree murder, child abuse, and aggravated endangering of a child.

Jurors reportedly deliberated for approximately three hours before reaching their verdict.

Gonzalez-Mejia, now 38, was convicted in the death of the little boy he had been entrusted to care for.

The verdict came nearly seven years after Jacob’s death, bringing a major development in a case that began with a claim that the toddler had choked on food.

Gonzalez-Mejia remains in custody while awaiting sentencing. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for December 14, 2026, before District Judge Eric Williams.

A Verdict After Years of Waiting

For Jacob’s family, the verdict marks a significant moment in a long and painful legal process.

The initial explanation of a choking incident was challenged by medical findings that showed extensive injuries and led the medical examiner to rule the death a homicide caused by blunt-force trauma.

The jury ultimately found Gonzalez-Mejia guilty after hearing the evidence presented during the trial.

Jacob was just 2 years old, entirely dependent on the adults responsible for his safety and well-being. His death prompted years of investigation and legal proceedings, culminating in the jury’s decision.

The next step is sentencing, when the court will determine the punishment Gonzalez-Mejia faces for the crimes of which he has been convicted.

Source: Law&Crime