Dad who killed and hid bodies of children, ages 3 and 5, inside cat litter-filled suitcase and ‘hardened concrete’ container learns destiny

A Colorado man has been sentenced to more than three decades in prison for killing his two young children with the assistance of his girlfriend and “hiding the bodies under horrific conditions” — one in a container filled with “hardened concrete” and the other in a car trunk — for years, according to prosecutors.

Jesus Dominguez, 37, was sentenced Friday in Pueblo County after entering a plea deal in July for second-degree murder and agreeing to testify against his girlfriend, Corena Minjarez, 37, for what prosecutors described as a despicable act of “homicidal violence” orchestrated by Minjarez, who was using drugs and abusing the children while they struggled with potty training.

The couple attempted to conceal the 2018 murders of Jesus Dominguez Jr., 5, and Yesenia Dominguez, 3, by hiding their bodies in a car trunk and storage facility in Pueblo.

According to The Pueblo Chieftain and the father’s court testimony, Jesus Jr.’s remains were wrapped in layers of garbage bags and placed inside a suitcase, concealing everything with a comforter, cat litter, and baby powder.

The suitcase was placed in the trunk of the couple’s Pontiac, which was eventually driven to a nearby scrapyard and discovered by cops. The boy died after Minjarez, who had previously been convicted and sentenced to life in prison, murdered Yesenia with Dominguez and placed her body in a tote bag before moving her to a suitcase and then a storage unit where the couple lived.

Minjarez was charged with two counts of first-degree murder of a child under the age of 12 by a person in a position of trust, as well as two counts of corpse abuse. Dominguez reportedly testified at Minjarez’s trial, describing how Minjarez struggled to potty train both of his children with Dominguez, resulting in their mistreatment and deaths.

“Child abuse often does not have many witnesses, and this case was no different,” wrote Chief Trial Deputy Kyle McCarthy and Senior Deputy District Attorney David Dingess, prosecutors with the 10th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, in a press release following Minjarez’s conviction last month.

“This made the collaborative effort of the law enforcement and prosecution team all the more important,” the attorney general stated.

McCarthy and Dingess “presented compelling evidence” during Minjarez’s jury trial, the DA’s office claims. “Despite the defense’s claims that the co-defendant acted alone, the evidence clearly demonstrated that Minjarez was responsible for the death of these two children and responsible for hiding the bodies under horrific conditions,” according to the office’s press release.

Dominguez reportedly testified that Minjarez would force the kids to sit in plastic bags while driving them around town, sometimes retrieving drugs with them, because she didn’t want urine in her car. Minjarez sprayed Jesus Jr. with a high-pressure water nozzle at a self-service car wash, causing lacerations near the boy’s groin, according to his father.

Dominguez informed jurors that on March 14, 2018, he and Minjarez were driving the children to school. Yesenia had soiled herself and was forced to sit in a trash bag on the car floor after the 3-year-old stopped breathing in the backseat, according to the Chieftain. According to Dominguez, the couple considered taking her to a local hospital but declined due to signs of abuse, such as bite marks and injuries to one of Yesenia’s hands caused by Minjarez months earlier.

With Jesus Jr. still in the backseat, Minjarez and Dominguez drove to a house on Sundance Court and placed Yesenia’s body in a tote before moving her to a suitcase and placing the luggage in Minjarez’s trunk after being evicted, according to Dominguez and prosecutors. Dominguez claimed that his son never inquired about what happened to his sister.

Weeks later, the couple was discovered to be living in Minjarez’s Pontiac, where Yesenia’s body was found. The girl’s remains gave off a “foul smell” that could be detected “little by little” as the couple began snorting Percocet and methamphetamine inside the vehicle, with Jesus Jr. also staying inside, according to his father.

The boy had made some progress with his potty training, but then began “going backwards,” according to Dominguez, causing more problems for Minjarez.

In April 2018, the couple was out picking up drugs with Jesus Jr. when Minjarez informed Dominguez that the boy had stopped breathing while sitting in the back seat. Dominguez reported that Jesus Jr. was sitting near plastic bags and blankets, and his lips had turned purple. According to Dominguez, the couple refused to go to the hospital again and instead took Jesus Jr. to a field near the Pueblo Dam, where they stuffed him inside a suitcase filled with trash bags.

According to prosecutors, Minjarez and Dominguez transported Yesenia’s body to a unit at the Kings Storage facility on 617 W Sixth Street in Pueblo and stowed Jesus Jr. in the trunk of the Pontiac, which was eventually taken to a scrapyard. The couple was living in the storage unit until they were evicted, and Minjarez’s mother discovered a concrete-filled trash can while assisting them in clearing everything out.

According to prosecutors, Minjarez’s mother called the cops in January 2024 because she was suspicious of the container inside Minjarez and Dominguez’s storage unit. She told investigators about a number of disturbing signs she had noticed over the years, including the “foul smell” emanating from Minjarez’s car in the summer of 2018.

On January 20, 2024, officers responded to Kings Storage and discovered the container.

“The metal container was searched, and the remains of a child were discovered inside,” Pueblo Police said in a press release. Yesenia’s body was badly decomposed, and her autopsy report listed the manner of death as “homicidal violence” but gave no cause due to the severity of the decomposition. Police discovered Jesus Jr.’s body two weeks later.

Dominguez, who accepted his plea agreement on July 10, had a tumultuous relationship with Minjarez. As the relationship deteriorated, prosecutors claim Minjarez vented her frustrations and anger on Jesus Jr. and Yesenia, while also becoming extremely jealous of the children’s biological mother. Family members of Minjarez allegedly told investigators that they were concerned about Minjarez’s treatment of the children prior to their deaths.

In a previous alleged incident, Minjarez locked Yesenia in a room and forced her to finish eating a carrot. According to prosecutors, her teenage son became upset with her for being too harsh on the children.

Minjarez’s friend told cops that she allegedly confessed to hiding Jesus Jr. and Yesenia’s bodies in 2018 after they died “the exact same way.”

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