Parents found guilty of abusing 6-week-old son

A Kern County jury found Jorge Millan and Elizabeth Jara guilty of numerous counts of abuse that nearly caused the death of their 6-week-old son.

On Oct. 19, Millan was found guilty of attempted murder, torture and child abuse under circumstances likely to produce great bodily injury or death. Jara also was found guilty of assault likely to cause great bodily injury and child abuse under circumstances likely to produce great bodily injury or death.

For more than a month – from March 20, 2021, to May 3, 2021, Millan and Jara confined the child to a room within their residence in Wasco, which was found in deplorable conditions, with dog feces and cockroaches throughout, In the case presented by Deputy District Attorney Janae Knallay, during this period, under their care, the child suffered multiple injuries, including fractures of both sides of the jaw, a fractured collar bone, a spine fracture, 32 rib fractures, a broken femur, a fractured right arm, a broken shin and corner fractures on nearly all the long bones in his body.

Medical examinations indicated that these fractures were at various stages of healing, implying that they occurred on multiple occasions. Furthermore, the child had burns, bruises, a lacerated tongue, a torn frenulum and signs of blunt force trauma.

The abuse came to light when Jara took the baby to an urgent care facility, prompting the medical staff to contact law enforcement and an ambulance due to the child's dire condition. Subsequently, the child was admitted to Valley Children's Hospital, where he remained in critical condition and required intubation in the intensive care unit for two weeks.

The attending physician testified that the child could have died without timely administration of life-saving medical treatment.

Text messages and pictures on Jara's phone suggested her awareness of the abuse but her failure to act to put a stop to it. Additionally, there is proof of her involvement in concealing the crimes by notifying Millan about law enforcement's approach. She further attempted to hide the child's injuries by applying a Band-Aid to his eye and sneaking him through their bedroom window to prevent other household members from seeing his wounds.

District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer commented, "Although I'm glad the lifelong abuse is over, it breaks my heart to witness yet another tragic incident involving a child in our county. It is a miracle that the victim is still alive today, and atrocious individuals who threaten the life of a child deserve to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."

The sentencing hearing is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 17, at the Kern County Superior Court. Millan is facing life imprisonment, along with an extra 5 years and 8 months. Jara may potentially receive a sentence of up to 13 years.