A Texas resident, Enrique Lopez, has been sentenced to decades behind bars after admitting his involvement in the tragic death of his girlfriend’s young son.

Lopez, aged 22, confessed to a felony charge of injuring a child, nearly a year following the death of 3-year-old Augustine “Augie” Valencia. Augie, along with his 2-year-old brother, was left in Lopez’s care by their mother, Emma Torres, while she attended a court hearing. According to court documents reviewed by ABC affiliate KIII, the couple engaged in an argument on the morning of February 11, 2025, after Torres had left her sons with Lopez. More details can be found here.

The disagreement continued via phone, with Torres terminating a call at 8:27 a.m. The quarrel persisted through text messages, where Torres accused Lopez of mistreatment and noted his anger. By 8:50 a.m., Lopez attempted to reach Torres five times, but she did not answer. At 9:29 a.m., he texted, urging her to contact him once she was available.

Lopez dialed 911 at 10:37 a.m., reporting that Augie was unresponsive and turning purple. Upon arriving at the hospital, medical personnel found Augie in cardiac arrest and noted he had sustained multiple injuries, including a skull fracture, an acute subdural hemorrhage, and extensive bruising. Paramedics observed fresh bruises on his abdomen.

Tragically, Augie was declared dead at 2 p.m. that afternoon.

In his statement to authorities, Lopez claimed he had bathed Augie and put him to bed before lying down on the floor himself. He reported finding Augie unresponsive 20 minutes later, prompting the emergency call. However, investigators found discrepancies in his account, particularly due to the dry bathtub and the absence of evidence supporting his claim of bathing the child.

Torres was also arrested in connection with Augie’s death and charged with two counts of injury to a child by omission for leaving both of her children with Lopez. The charges against her were dismissed.

On Jan. 8, a judge sentenced Lopez to 35 years in prison for inflicting the injuries that resulted in Augie’s death. He received credit for time served.