A Denton County grand jury has handed-down indictments over the April 1st beating death of a seven-year-old boy. The boy's mother, Sabrina Ho, 44, and her boyfriend Todd Shaw, 52, are each charged with murder and injury to a child.
Police said Phoenix Ho, 7, never had a chance.
Police were called to the home in the 1600 block of East McKinney for a report of a child who was unresponsive. When they arrived they found the body of the child. The boy had been unconscious for about five hours, police said.
Police said Phoenix was covered with extensive injuries, including severe bruising to his face, neck, armpits, and groin. He also had puncture wounds and burns.
"The mother gave ... stories that conflicted with the injuries," Denton Deputy Chief of Police Frank Padgett said.
According to the affidavit, Ho initially told police that she was in her bedroom when Shaw called her out to say something was wrong with Phoenix. Ho said the 7-year-old was laying on the ground with his eyes rolled back into his head. She told officers she thought Shaw had hurt the child because he'd done it before.
According to the affidavit, Shaw told police that Phoenix was acting up and he "went too far."
Shaw was arrested that night and charged with injury to a child.
Police said Ho later told them that Shaw had been abusing Phoenix for at least a week, although officers say they suspect it was much longer than that. She said Shaw attacked Phoenix in early March, causing a significant injury that caused the boy great pain. Ho confessed to keeping Phoenix home from school and avoiding taking him to the doctor to hide the signs of abuse. She told police she was afraid of getting in trouble.
Shaw is being held on a $1 million bond, and Ho a $500,000 bond. Both could face life in prison.
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