Mother gets 21 years to life for drowning toddler in custody dispute

Source: http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/crime-courts-fire/sd-no-mother-sentencing-20160914-story.html

Veronica Rivas (30), a mother, has to spend her 21 years of life in prison. She intentionally drowned her 21-month-old toddler son whose name Elijah in the bathtub. The reasons of this case were revenge and spite. Rivas had to split the custody of Elijah with her husband since she had treated Elijah as her pawn.

In September 2014, she placed her toddler in her bathtub and held her toddler head underwater. At first, Elijah still fought to her mother’s action. But it just occurred in short time. After Elijah regained consciousness, Rivas called her husband and asked him to give up on his custody of Elijah. However, Marine Sgt. Juan Concha, Elijah’s father, said no. Then, Rivas held Elijah’s head underwater for the second times until he died. Now, Concha hopes that he will always stay in California since his son was buried there.

Elijah is a very poor toddler. He did not do anything to his mother; he did not understand what happened between his mother and his father, but he got the effect of his mother’s anger. Reading this news made me sad. Especially when Concha said that Elijah’s toy, a blue stuffed elephant, is the only thing about his toddler which he has. He strongly grabbed it when he was in court. Usually, Elijah slept with that toy. It is the most heartbreaking part for me.