MADISON HEIGHTS (WWJ) -- An Oakland County jury has found a Madison Heights man guilty on all counts in connection with the fatal abuse of a 6-year-old boy.
Daniel John Giacchina, 34, was convicted Tuesday in Oakland County’s Sixth Circuit Court for the 2024 death of his girlfriend's son, Giovanni “Chulo” Jennings.
On July 30, 2024, Madison Heights police and fire personnel responded to a 911 call about a child who was not breathing.
Giovanni was hospitalized but died the following day.
An autopsy determined his cause of death was blunt-force trauma and a perforated bowel
An investigation later revealed that the boy had been beaten and systematically abused by Giacchina and the child's mother, Elaina Jennings, officials said.
According to Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald, Chulo was confined to a pen in his mother's bedroom. He was beaten and the defendants bound him to the wall by using a staple gun on his clothes. McDonald said the boy was badly injured, but he was not taken in for treatment because his mother knew that a medical exam would reveal the abuse.
Giacchina was convicted on June 9 of felony murder, first-degree child abuse, possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, felon in Possession of ammunition, felony-firearm, and lying to a peace officer.
Elaina Jennings was convicted of felony murder, first-degree child abuse, and lying to a peace officer during a separate trial in March."Giovanni Jennings deserved love and protection from the adults in his life," McDonald said in a statement. "While we cannot bring him back, these verdicts hold Daniel Giacchina and Elaina Jennings accountable for the horrific abuse of an innocent six-year-old boy who should still be with us."
Giacchina faces up to life in prison. His sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 9.
Elaina Jennings' sentencing is set for July 1.
Investigators said the child was stapled to the wall by his clothes
Investigators said the child was stapled to the wall by his clothes
