A father accused of b*ating his newborn twin daughters to death could face execut!on if found guilty.
Fernando Vega, 22, was arrested on April 19 and initially charged with causing serious bodily injury to a child, alongside the mother, Angelina Belinda Calderon, 21. Vega’s charges were later upgraded to two counts of capital m*rder after investigators determined he was the sole person allegedly responsible for their deaths.
The six-week-old twins, Massail and Mirena, were found deceased in their home on Linden Creek Way in Houston around 11:15 am on October 4, 2023.
Police reported the infants were discovered on a couch with discolored skin, bruises, and one of the girls had fractures.
The babies, born prematurely, reportedly had not received medical care since being discharged from the hospital, according to court documents.
Dr. Jesus Rico, a pathologist at the Harris County Institute of Forensic Science, found signs of dehydration, bruises, and fractures indicating past abuse.
Both twins were malnourished, with evidence of acute brain bl*eding and spinal cord injury, indicative of recent trauma.
Prosecutor Edward Appelbaum said on Wednesday, October 23, that he seeks a thorough investigation of their deaths before pursuing murder charges. “These injur!es are severe, and based on the evidence, he was the only person around the children who could have inflicted these injur!es,” he stated.
Appelbaum earlier described the allegations as horr!fic, pointing out both old and new injur!es.
Vega has pleaded not guilty to the original charges, and his lawyer, Mario Madrid, maintains this stance for the murder counts. “He’s not guilty; under the law, he’s innocent at this time. We have a long investigation and much evidence to review,” Madrid said.
Calderon currently faces lesser charges, but prosecutors haven’t ruled out upgrading them to murder as the investigation proceeds.
Vega claimed he dropped Calderon off at work and returned home to find the twins not breathing, contradicting the autopsy results, which indicated death from blunt force trauma.
He told police the twins were “fussy” throughout the night and put them in a bassinet. Calderon reportedly did not wake them in the morning because she was leaving for work, as indicated in court documents.
Calderon’s sister told a local news station in April that Calderon was “one of the best mothers” she knew, insisting she was at work when the children died. Calderon had an emotional outburst during an initial court hearing, saying, “You were the last one with my kids when they died. You’re making me look like a bad person. I was at work when they died.”
Calderon’s aunt, Sarah Calderon, expressed that both parents should be held accountable. “I’m disappointed; it really breaks my heart. They need to both be held accountable,” she said, even if she didn’t believe Calderon would harm them, the babies were neglected.
Calderon and Vega are held at Harris County Jail with Calderon’s bond at $750,000 and Vega’s at $3 million.