A Colorado woman will serve nearly two decades in prison for abusing a two-year-old boy to the point where he needed to be fed through a tube and suffered potentially lifelong injuries.
Mckinley Slone Hernandez, 26, was sentenced to 18 years in prison for the injuries suffered by Giovanni, a 2-year-old boy she was babysitting, according to the 1st Judicial District Attorney’s Office.
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Lakewood police began investigating on September 1, 2023, when Hernandez took the boy to a local hospital. He was then airlifted to a pediatric hospital for life-saving surgery. His injuries included a traumatic brain injury, reduced oxygen and blood flow to the brain, and retinal hemorrhage, which caused tissue displacement behind the eyes. He had bruises all over his body.
Stefanie Reichert, the boy’s mother, stated at Hernandez’s sentencing hearing that her son spent about a month in the hospital, where he was “intubated, sedated, placed on and off a ventilator, and fed through a tube.” He had to relearn fundamental life skills such as breathing, eating, and walking. Those challenges persist, she said, and he may face them for the rest of his life.
“He will never be able to participate in sports, wrestle with his brothers, or join the military like his father. “Not because he didn’t want them, but because someone made the decision to take them away,” she explained.
Hernandez, who ran an unlicensed day care at her home, had been watching Giovanni between August 30 and September 1, 2023. Surveillance video captured Giovanni “falling or being pushed from a camper trailer” around 7:30 p.m. on September 1, according to prosecutors. Hernandez, who was right behind him, picked him up off the ground and bit his arm before carrying him inside. Within the next 15 minutes, the boy fell unconscious.
However, Hernandez did not take him to the hospital until nearly 8 p.m.
Prosecutors claim Hernandez prioritized herself over Giovanni because she was afraid of getting into trouble.
“The fact that Ms. Hernandez hesitated to seek medical attention for the victim is incredibly aggravated,” said Special Victims Chief Prosecutor Tyra Forbes.
Prosecutors claimed Hernandez’s boyfriend performed lifesaving CPR and ensured the boy was taken to the hospital.
Prosecutors believe Giovanni’s injuries were caused by more than just a fall, and that he was abused for two days.
“As a caregiver, your job, first and foremost, is to get that little boy help,” District Court Judge Chantel Contiguglia said during the sentencing.
An April jury found Hernandez guilty of child abuse.
Reichert has been documenting her 4-year-old son’s progress on her GoFundMe page. He has had several surgeries and has made steady progress.
“Giovanni is doing very well and continues to improve every day,” she stated in a post last year. “We are forever thankful for all of the doctors, nurses, and surgeons that saved his life and continue to be a huge part in making him improve everyday.”
