An Arizona mother and her boyfriend are facing murder and child abuse charges for the tragic death of the mother’s two-year-old son.
The Glendale Police Department arrested Leilah Lopez and her boyfriend, Johnny Brazell II, both 20 years old, after disturbing events unfolded on May 16.
At around 10 am, Brazell made a 911 call, claiming that a dog had attacked two-year-old Braxton and he was no longer breathing. However, when first responders arrived at the scene, they discovered multiple injuries on the child, including numerous bruises. Braxton succumbed to his injuries at a local hospital despite attempts to save him.
Medical personnel later reported that Braxton had various injuries at different stages of healing, indicating a pattern of prolonged physical abuse. During initial interviews, both Lopez and Brazell provided lengthy accounts of the alleged dog attack, but their narratives contained numerous discrepancies.
Upon further investigation and confrontation about the inconsistencies, Brazell confessed to killing the boy. He admitted that in the morning, he became enraged when Braxton tried to remove a blanket from a window. Brazell then subjected the child to brutal punishment by picking him up by the leg, hitting him repeatedly with a belt, throwing him against furniture, and dropping him on his head multiple times. These acts caused fractures to the skull, lacerations, bruising around the eyes, and other severe injuries.
Shockingly, instead of seeking immediate medical help for the struggling child, Lopez bathed Braxton and put him down for a nap. She called her boyfriend back to the home when the child’s condition worsened. By the time Brazell arrived, Braxton had already stopped breathing. At that point, the couple concocted a fabricated story about a dog attack during a walk to explain the child’s injuries.
According to authorities, while alone in an interview room, Brazell was allegedly overheard saying to Lopez that their discussed narrative had failed.
