The grandmother of an allegedly abused girl found dead with bite marks said her granddaughter's accused killer deserves to spend the rest of his life in prison, living "with the guilt" of the 4-year-old's grisly murder.
In order for a sliver of justice to be served for little Octavia Aquino, Linda Alvarez suggested 16-year-old Christian Gonzalez would need to be locked up until he dies, mulling over the painful death he purportedly inflicted upon her innocent grandchild.
"He would have to live with the guilt that he took this beautiful little girl away from us and didn't give her the chance to live the life that she deserved," Alvarez told HNGN during an interview Tuesday.
Gonzalez has been charged with first-degree murder in connection with Octavia's death earlier this month, after she was found unresponsive at the Evansville, Indiana, home she shared with her alleged killer, his girlfriend and her mother Destiny Rhoades, 23, and three other female roommates, according to police.
On June 14, officers responding to a call of a medical emergency at the residence found Octavia unresponsive and "cold to the touch" while her mom was at work, according to police.
She never regained consciousness and died two days later at the hospital.
"I remember seeing my little grandbaby there, and she looks like she's asleep, but she has all this stuff hooked up to her and wrapped around their head," Alvarez recalled of rushing to the hospital. "And there's bruises all over her. There's bruises on her face, there's bruises around her neck, and there's bite marks all over her arm."
"Who would do this to a baby and why? What could she have possibly done to make you mad enough to do this?" the grieving grandmother cried.
Gonzalez allegedly admitted to biting Octavia, but only after accusing the 4-year-old of initiating the attack.
"I know that's a lie because Octavia wasn't mean at all," Alvarez said. "She was just my little ray of sunshine."
Octavia died from blunt force trauma to the head and neck, according to the Vanderburgh County Coroner's Office, WFIE-TV reported.
Gonzalez has not yet entered a plea to the murder charge.
Rhoades pleaded not guilty to neglect of a dependent resulting in death.
