The parents of a toddler who died last fall at his family’s Sabre Springs home pleaded not guilty Friday to murder and child abuse charges.
Helena Branch, 37, and Jamar Branch, 39, were arrested Wednesday at San Diego County Juvenile Court in Serra Mesa in connection with the November death of their 16-month-old son, Benjamin, according to the San Diego Police Department.
The couple, who both face a potential life sentence if convicted, are charged with murder for Benjamin’s death, plus felony and misdemeanor child abuse counts in connection with their seven other children.
A criminal complaint states that last fall the children ranged in age from four weeks to 16 years old.
The couple remain in custody without bail and their defense attorneys did not contest their bail status at their arraignment.
The attorneys, however, did object to a no-contact order prohibiting them from speaking with their surviving children.
Deputy District Attorney Ramona McCarthy didn’t delve into the details of Benjamin’s death in court, but said the defendants should be prohibited from speaking to their children because the minors are listed victims and witnesses in the case.
“It would absolutely be against their children’s best interests” to maintain contact with their parents, she said.
She outlined how over the last 15 years, mandatory reporters, neighbors and others have repeatedly reached out to Child Protective Services and law enforcement out of concern for the Branches’ children.
McCarthy said they have refused to cooperate with law enforcement and CPS, while also directing their children to do the same.
Superior Court Judge Eureka Oliver sided with the prosecution, leaving the no-contact protective orders in place.
Late on the morning of Nov. 6, Helena Branch reported that Benjamin had lost consciousness and stopped breathing at their residence in the 10900 block of Evening Creek Drive.
Paramedics took the boy to Palomar Medical Center Poway, where doctors pronounced him dead shortly after arrival.
Investigators described Benjamin as malnourished, “severely underweight” and “possibly the victim of criminal neglect. They ultimately concluded that neglect led to his death.
A final ruling by the county Medical Examiner’s Office on the boy’s cause of death is still pending, officials said.
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