San Jose man charged with murdering, sexually abusing “Baby Jaxon,” 2-year-old foster child
By Carlos E. Castañeda
An 18-year-old San Jose man was charged with the sexual assault and murder of his 2-year-old foster brother, authorities said on Monday.
The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office said in a press release that the unidentified man, who was 17-years-old at the time of the murder on April 5, was charged in juvenile court. Prosecutors are seeking to have the case transferred to adult court, the DA’s Office said.
The suspect is also the cousin of the victim, whom authorities call “Baby Jaxon,” the DA’s Office said. He had already been charged with multiple counts of sexual assault, and has now been charged with nine new felony counts in addition to murder, including child assault causing death and assault with a hair tie.
The San Jose Police Department said in a press release that officers responded on Easter Sunday to Otono Court just north of Branham Lane E. in the Valley Christian/River View neighborhood of South San Jose for a report of a toddler who was unresponsive in his crib. Officers and medics arrived, and after they performed life-saving measures, the child was taken to a hospital in critical condition and was placed on life support.
Police said hospital staff discovered the child had several suspicious traumatic injuries. Detectives discovered evidence suggesting the 17-year-old had repeatedly assaulted, sexually and physically, since he was placed in the foster family home in February, according to police.
Officers arrested the suspect on April 8 in San Jose and booked him into the Santa Clara County Juvenile Hall on multiple sexual assault and child abuse charges.
The next day, the department was notified that the child had died of his injuries at the hospital, and detectives began a homicide investigation, working with the DA’s Office to amend charges, police said.
If convicted in juvenile court, the defendant could face seven years in a secure treatment facility for juveniles convicted of serious crimes, the office said. If the case is sent to adult court, he would face many years in state prison.
Detectives also determined that Baby Jaxon had been placed with a foster caregiver “who had a concerning criminal history,” according to the Police Department, and that investigators noted she was not forthcoming during initial interviews. The unidentified caregiver was arrested and booked, but later released pending further investigation, police said.
“Today, we sadly add the name of Baby Jaxon alongside Baby Phoenix and others on a list of children whose short lives have been snuffed out through cruelty and recklessness,” District Attorney Jeff Rosen said, referring to an unrelated fatal overdose case of a child in the county in 2023. “Jaxon will never have a chance at life. Jaxon will never have any way to tell his own story. My Office will speak for him and all the lost children as we seek justice.”
A full autopsy is pending, the DA’s Office said. The killing was San Jose’s 8th homicide of 2026.
