A California man has been sentenced to 21 years to life in prison for the murder of a toddler he left in a scalding hot bath while he went to buy drugs. The victim, one-year-old Henry Wheatley-Brown, died in September 2023 after being severely burned.
Abandoned to get high
Sergio Mena, 34, was watching over the child while his girlfriend, Samantha Garver, 36, was away. Mena placed the toddler into a scalding bath, then left the infant alone to pick up methamphetamine. When he returned, the boy was screaming from severe burns. Instead of seeking medical help, Mena called Garver, who came home later that evening.
Prosecutors said: "Despite Henry's extensive and life-threatening injuries, neither defendant sought medical care, instead attempting to treat the burns with over‑the‑counter ointment." The next day, the couple called emergency services, reporting the child had "shallow breathing." Paramedics found Henry "without a pulse, ice‑cold to the touch and severely dehydrated." He was pronounced dead.
Ongoing abuse revealed
Medical experts discovered the infant had suffered ongoing abuse, including multiple bone fractures in both arms, in addition to second and third degree burns from the fatal bath. The boy's grandmother, Sierra Rivers, told the Los Angeles Times she had heard Garver say: "I got abused as a kid and I got hit as a baby, and I turned out fine."
An investigation concluded that "abuse and neglect" caused the child's death. The district attorney's office stated: "Although nothing can bring back baby Henry or erase the suffering he endured, today's sentences deliver justice and ensure these defendants will never again harm a child."
Sentences handed down
Samantha Garver was convicted of manslaughter and child abuse causing great bodily injury. She was sentenced to 14 years in prison. Sergio Mena pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and child abuse causing great bodily injury, receiving a sentence of 21 years to life.
