Mickey Vallejo-Seiber

Michael “Mikey” Vallejo-Seiber (August 12, 2002 - August 29, 2005) was a three year old boy who lived in Riverside, CA. On August 27, 2005, he was kicked, beaten, stomped, burned, sodomized, and forced to eat dog food and his own excrement by his mother's boyfriend – Alex Kermith Mendoza. Mendoza critical of Vallejo-Seiber's upbringing, calling the child a “sissy” and saying he wanted to make him a “soldier.”

Mikey Vallejo-Seiber

Pamela Sieber, 23, met aspiring rapper Alex Kermith Mendoza, 27, in July 2005, at the nightclub where she worked as a dancer. In early August, she and her son – Mikey Vallejo-Seiber – began spending time at Mendoza's home in Rubidoux. On August.¹⁾ Mendoza had spent time in prison for drug dealing and domestic violence.²⁾ He also faced charges of elder abuse in the mistreatment of his now-deceased 87-year-old father.³⁾

Francisco Vallejo, Seiber-Vallejo's father, was in prison before the child was born.⁴⁾

On August 15, 2006, Riverside Child Protective Services received a call from a pediatrician's office concerning possible abuse. An investigator was dispatched to the address given for Vallejo-Seiber's mother. On the following day, a CPS investigator was made contact with Sieber and interviewed her at the Riverside apartment. The investigator submitted the case for closure on August 22, saying the abuse allegations were unfounded.⁵⁾

Pamela Seiber

The investigator determined that a bruise on Vallejo-Seiber's face, that had been reported by his pediatrician, was not the result of abuse. The boy first told his pediatrician, “Mom hit me.” When the doctor asked if he had fallen and hit his eye, Vallejo-Seiber said “I fell.” Sieber told social workers that the child ran into a table or counter when Medoza's dog came into the house. Later she said she was not at home when the abuse took place.⁶⁾

On August 23, 2005, Sieber witnessed Mendoza slapping her son on the back of he head, and broke up with him. She reconciled with Mendoza and returned to his home when he promised to be more affectionate with her son. Sieber left Vallejo-Seiber at Mendoza's house on at least six occasions, including August 27, 2005.⁷⁾

Alex Kermith Mendoza

Sieber later told investigators that she left her son with Mendoza, whom she'd known for three weeks, because she trouble finding someone to watch him while she worked as a dancer at a local nightclub. On August 27, 2006, she left the child in the care of Mendoza and Mendoza's roommate, Richard Daniel Cox, 19, who.

On Augut 27, 2006, according to the CPS investigation narrative and trial testimony, Vallejo-Seiber was slapped, kicked, stomped, dropped on his head, burned, punched and sodomized by Mendoza on the night of August 27, 2006.⁸⁾ He was hung by his arms, and forced to eat dog food and his own excrement.

An autopsy determined that Vallejo-Seiber suffered a lacerated liver and pancreas, a hemorrhaged diaphragm and kidneys, a fractured skull, broken ribs, and burns to his genitals and anus. ⁹⁾

Mendoza and Cox then left the injured boy on the floor, and went to a video store where they rented Coach Carter and a video game.¹⁰⁾

On August 28, 2005, Sieber and Mendoza brought Vallejo-Seiber to Riverside Community hospital. The child was not breathing. After he was necessitated, Vallejo-Seiber was transfered to Lorna Linda University Medical Center.¹¹⁾

Vallejo-Seiber died while in surgery at Lorna Linda University Medical Center.¹²⁾ Court documents show that he died as a result of a massive blow to the stomach, which lacerated his liver and caused internal bleeding.¹³⁾

At the preliminary trial for Mendoza and Cox, Sieber said that Mendoza was critical of her parenting, and called her son a “sissy.” Mendoza said he wanted to make a “soldier” of the boy, and at one point urged him to beat up his Elmo doll.¹⁴⁾ Mendoza's defense lawyer said, “He loved the child. He wanted to turn him into a little soldier.¹⁵⁾

Mendoza was arrested on August 28, after he and Sieber brought the child to Riverside Community hospital.¹⁶⁾

Sieber was arrested for endangering her son by leaving him in Mendoza's care.

During questioning Cox first called Mendoza a “caring person” who was “there for” Vallejo-Seiber. Then he admitted having seen both Mendoza and Sieber disciplining the boy. Later, Cox admitted that “maybe” he disciplined the boy five or six times, including purposely tripping the child once.¹⁷⁾

On April 12 2006 Sieber, Cox and Mendoza entered not guilty pleas regarding the charges against them. Sieber pleaded not guilty to charges of child engangerment in connection with her son's death. She was released after posting $15,000 bail. Cox was charged with murder, along with Mendoza, and both faced special circumstances of torture, making them eligible for the death penalty.¹⁸⁾

In August 2006, Judge Elisabeth Sichel ruled that there was sufficient evidence to try Mendoza for first degree murder in Vallejo-Seiber's death.¹⁹⁾

In January 2007, the Riverside district attorney's office announced that it would seek the death penalty in the case against Mendoza.²⁰⁾

Mendoza is being held at the Robert Pressley Detention Center since August 28, 2005, the day he and Sieber brought Mikey Vallejo-Seiber to Riverside Community Hospital.²¹⁾ He is scheduled to appear in Riverside County Superior Court on January 1, 2008.²²⁾

On August 14, 2006 – two day after what would have been her son's fourth birthday, was sentenced to six years in prison for failing to protect her him from Mendoza and Cox. She was four month's pregnant at the time of her sentencing.²³⁾

Richard Cox

In February 2007, Judge Robert Spitzer granted a motion that Medoza and Cox be tried separately. At trial in February, Cox's defense team said he failed to call police to report Mendoza's abuse and torture of Vallejo-Seiber, and took refuge in his room²⁴⁾, because he was afraid of Mendoza. Forensic pathologist, Dr. Stephen Trinkle, also testified about the injuries he noted on Vallejo-Seiber's head, face, arm, thigh, penis and anus during his posthumous examination of the victim.²⁵⁾ Trauma to the rectum indicated that Vallejo-Seiber had been sodomized.²⁶⁾

On March 7, 2007, Cox was sentenced to 25 years to life in state prison for his role in Vallejo-Seiber's death.²⁷⁾

In May 2007, the director of Riverside County's Department of Public Social Services resigned. Cynthia Hinkley's resignation came after an April 2007 letter from county social workers and union representatives saying that managers ignored suggested improvements in Child Protective Services, thus making Vallejo-Seiber's death “inevitable.” In the wake of the letter, supervisors ordered a review of the department in response to complaints about the high turnover of social workers and managers.²⁸⁾