Jake Musga, 19, was sentenced to 50 years to life in prison after pleading guilty on September 9, 2013 to Murder in the First Degree and Rape of a Child in the First Degree. The defendant sexually assaulted his girlfriend’s two-year-old son and beat him to death.

“This is one of those exceptionally despicable crimes that defy understanding,” said Prosecutor Mark Lindquist. “The defendant will almost certainly spend the rest of his life in prison.”

On Friday, March 29, 2013, the defendant noticed the victim “had more bruises than normal,” was quieter than normal and “wasn’t himself.” When the victim’s mother came home from work, they noticed the bruises appeared to be getting worse. They contacted their pediatrician who advised them to seek care if the bruises worsened. The couple discussed taking the victim to the doctor, but decided that he “looked too bad.” They stayed home.

At approximately 6:00pm, the victim’s mother left for the night and the defendant and took the victim to a park. They returned home and watched television. The defendant poured himself a large drink of Pepsi and vodka. At approximately4:00am the next morning, a 911 caller reported that the defendant was in the lobby of the Commencement Terrace apartment complex holding a badly bruised young boy who was not breathing. Medical aid arrived and the victim was transported to a trauma center. Hospital staff noted the victim was in “major shock” and his condition was “catastrophically bad.” The victim was bruised from head to toe, and had a blood alcohol level of 0.12. He showed no significant brain activity and was pronounced dead later that day.

An autopsy revealed that the victim suffered injuries too numerous to count, but there were specific, fatal blows to the head and torso. The medical examiner said the injuries were consistent with abuse. Furthermore, the victim suffered internal and external injuries to the rectum consistent with penetration by an object.