Courtroom outburst as toddler murder suspect faces judge
GOLDEN, Colo. -- There was an emotional outburst in court Wednesday as the man accused of murdering a Colorado toddler found with a cord wrapped around his neck appeared via closed circuit video before a judge, reports CBS Denver.
Roman Paul Isaiah Morales, 21, is accused in the death of two-year-old Donnie Ro'mello Romero, Jr.
The child was reported missing Monday from an apartment in Lakewood, southwest of Denver. He was found shortly after officers responded, in a container with a lid on it and a cord wrapped around his neck. He was reportedly transported to a hospital, where he later died.
He was a week away from his third birthday.
Police describe Morales as an acquaintance of the toddler's mother, and say he was staying at her apartment with them. Family, however, tells the station that Morales is the toddler's cousin.
In the Jefferson County courtroom, a woman yelled, "Keep your head up, Roman!" A member of the child's family reportedly yelled, "Shut up!"
Morales remains in custody without bond on a first-degree murder charge. He is scheduled to appear in court next week for a formal filing of charges.
"He was the most full of life child you would have ever wanted to see," the child's aunt, Jeanette Galindo, told the station. "He was the light of our lives...We want justice for the baby and we want peace for our family."