The father of the child, whose mom stood by and allowed her boyfriend beat him to death confronts the killer in court room: ‘I should kill your f—— a– right here!’

August 18, 2024 Gloria Shaw

A courtroom in San Antonio, Texas, became the scene of an emotional outburst when a grieving father, David Engwiller, confronted the man convicted of causing his 5-year-old son’s death.

The incident occurred during the sentencing of 29-year-old Daniel Garcia, who was found guilty in the 2021 death of Engwiller’s son, Domenic Aguilar Acevedo. The tension in the courtroom escalated when prosecutors played a video of Domenic, in which the child could be heard saying, “I love you so much, mommy.”

Overcome with grief, Engwiller let out a scream and hurled a water bottle before approaching Garcia. Video footage captured Engwiller shouting, “I should kill your f—— a– right here!” as deputies quickly intervened and escorted him out of the courtroom.

In the end, Garcia was sentenced to life in prison by 226th District Court Judge Velia J. Meza. Garcia had been convicted in May on charges of injury to a child with serious bodily harm, a charge that carried a life sentence due to the severity of the abuse Domenic endured.

During the hearing, Domenic’s grandmother, Serline Acevedo, delivered a tearful victim impact statement, lamenting the loss of her grandson. “Domenic was just 5 years old and all that he did was play with his dinosaurs and his sisters,” she said.

“And now he is no more with us because one person who did not love him just took his life. I will not hear him say ‘nana.’ Now all I have is a big pain in my heart that I will have all of my life.”

The tragic events leading to Domenic’s death unfolded in July 2021, when Garcia, his daughter, his girlfriend Nickolle Aguilar, and Domenic were staying at an extended-stay hotel in San Antonio.

According to testimony, Garcia would frequently hit Domenic for minor infractions, such as not answering questions quickly enough or not eating fast enough. Aguilar, who testified during Garcia’s trial, recounted an incident where Garcia punched Domenic in the face with such force that it left the child’s jaw “crooked.”

The abuse culminated on July 24, 2021, when Garcia threw Domenic against a wall, causing fatal injuries. The child began vomiting a dark substance before dying a few hours later. Instead of seeking medical help, Garcia and Aguilar fled to Colorado, where they buried Domenic’s body in a remote area.

His badly decomposed remains were later discovered in a ravine near the campsite after Aguilar failed to explain his whereabouts to Domenic’s grandmother, who then contacted the authorities.

Garcia and Aguilar were eventually arrested in Florida and extradited back to Texas. Although Garcia was initially charged with murder, prosecutors opted to pursue charges of injury to a child with serious bodily harm as a “legal strategy.”

Due to the severe decomposition of Domenic’s body, establishing a definitive cause of death was challenging. However, the evidence of serious injury, including hotel surveillance footage showing Garcia carrying Domenic’s lifeless body, was overwhelming.

Bexar County Criminal District Attorney Joe Gonzales commented on the case, stating, “The evidence in this case is tragic and painful from beginning to end. Our office will continue to go after those people who harm our children. Domenic deserved so much better than what he got in life, and Daniel Garcia deserves every last day of his time in prison.”

Aguilar, who had initially been charged with child abuse resulting in death, reached a plea deal with prosecutors. She agreed to plead guilty to a lesser charge of injury to a child resulting in serious bodily injury and testified against Garcia.

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Last week, Judge Meza sentenced her to 15 years in prison as part of the agreement.