HILO, Hawaii (AP) - A former professional boxer has been indicted by a Hilo grand jury in the 2011 beating death of a toddler.
Xavier “Pee Wee” Cortez Jr. is charged with second-degree murder in the death of 18-month-old Pomaikai Ferreira. Trial is scheduled for June 2.
Pomaikai was taken to Hilo Medical Center on Jan. 2, 2011, with breathing difficulties. She was transferred to Honolulu’s Queen’s Medical Center, where she died. An autopsy showed injuries due to repetitive abusive head trauma, authorities said.
At the time, Cortez was living with the girl’s mother. He initially was arrested but released pending further investigation.
Police said a tip led to his re-arrest Tuesday at his Mountain View home. He was ordered held on $1 million bail and pleaded not guilty, the Hawaii Tribune-Herald reported (https://ow.ly/t4WCx ).
“This case is a little bit different than many others,” Deputy Prosecutor Joseph Lee said. “It took some time to get some of the evidence, put everything together.”
Deputy Public Defender Jeff Ng had asked the judge to consider setting bail after his client was arrested on a no-bail warrant. Ng declined to comment Wednesday.
The girl’s mother, 20-year-old Sommer Ferreira, died in September 2011. County Prosecutor Mitch Roth described her death as suspicious but declined to elaborate. He said her death is under investigation.
Because the victim is a child, Cortez could face life in prison without the possibility of parole if he’s convicted.
Lee said Cortez has a prior conviction in Nevada for child neglect involving “very young” children. According to court records, Cortez has at least six misdemeanor Hawaii convictions, including domestic abuse in 2010.
___
Information from: Hawaii Tribune-Herald, https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/
Please read our comment policy before commenting.