HOUSTON — WARNING: Contains disturbing details
A Houston business owner who "tortured two little kids," ages 3 and 4, over and over is going to prison. A judge handed Victor Prado, 45, two life sentences after jurors convicted him in a horrifying case of child abuse.
“This man intentionally tortured two little kids and now, hopefully, he will spend the rest of his life in prison," Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg.
Prado was dating the victims' mother in 2019 and 2020 and he allowed her and the children to live in a commercial office building in the Alief area where he owned a moving company. He was supposed to be babysitting the children while she worked at his moving company, Greatest Movers. Instead, he repeatedly beat them, starved them and restrained them with zip ties.
A witness who noticed the children looked malnourished asked why they weren't being fed, and Prado told her "Because it makes the children have to poop." The witness said she sometimes saw the couple leave at night without the children and also heard the victims screaming. She said the mother threatened to kill her if she turned them in.
When CPS removed the children in May 2020, they were in such bad shape that they took them to Texas Children's Hospital. The 3-year-old girl was immediately placed in the intensive care unit and hospital staff said she was lucky to be alive. She had several blunt-force trauma injuries, including broken ribs and a severe intestinal injury that was bleeding internally. She also had bed sores.
The 4-year-old boy was severely malnourished, weighed only 32 pounds and "looked like a skeleton," medical personnel testified at the trial. He had multiple broken bones in various stages of healing and permanent brain tissue loss.
Both children had broken pelvises, an injury that is typically seen only in children who are in car crashes. They also had ligature marks on their hands, wrists, ankles and feet that left permanent scars.
“At a time in their lives when they should have been shown love and affection, these two children were shown violence and fear — they’ve lost their innocence,” Assistant District Attorney Ashlea Sheridan said. “They will have to live the rest of their lives with the effects of what this man did to them, and so should he.”
Doctors who treated the children classified their injuries as “child torture,” as defined in the Journal of Child & Adolescent Trauma as the following.
- “At least two physical assaults, occurring over at least two incidents or a single extended incident, which would cause prolonged physical pain, emotional distress, bodily injury or death
- And at least two elements of psychological abuse such as isolation, intimidation, emotional/psychological maltreatment, terrorizing, spurning or deprivation.”
Jurors convicted Prado of two counts of injury to a child causing serious bodily injury, a first-degree felony.
He'll have to serve at least 30 years before he'll be eligible for parole at age 75.
Mother also charged
The children's mother, 34-year-old Elizabeth Ramirez, is also charged with two counts of injury to a child. According to court documents, Ramirez struck, beat and starved her son and didn't protect him from Prado.
A daycare teacher told police that she notified CPS in 2019 after the children confided to her that their mother and "Daddy Vic" hurt them and told them to say the injuries happened when they fell. The boy told her that Prado had also choked him, according to the teacher.
HPD later interviewed the boy who told them that he "did not eat at mommy's house" and he "was scared of daddy."
According to court documents, Ramirez used latex filler and concealer on the boy's wrists to try and cover the ligature marks.
Ramirez is expected back in court in September. Her trial date hasn't been set.
Child abuse resources & services
If you or someone you know is a victim of child abuse of any kind or you suspect a child is being abused, there is help available. You can start by contacting one of these agencies or organizations.
- Children's Assessment Center 1-800-252-5400
- Childhelp 1-800-4-A-CHILD
- Houston Police Department Juvenile Division 713-731-5353
- Crime Stoppers of Houston 713-521-4600
Children can also tell an adult they trust, such as a teacher, principal or school counselor.
