A 26-year-old man was sentenced today to 25 years to life in state prison for fatally beating his 6- month-old daughter in 2013, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office announced.

On Feb. 8, jurors found Eduardo Orozco of Whittier guilty of two felony counts in case VA130104: second-degree murder and assault on a child causing death.

Deputy District Attorney Michael DeRose, who prosecuted the case, said on the night of May 10, 2013, Orozco was alone at his home watching his baby daughter, Mia.

During the evening, Orozco called the child's mother to say that Mia was not breathing, the prosecutor said. The mother rushed home, an ambulance was called, and the baby girl was taken to the hospital where she was pronounced dead, the prosecutor added.

According to testimony given at trial, Mia's autopsy showed she suffered four broken ribs, two punctured lungs, a lacerated heart and internal bleeding. The child's cause of death was massive blunt force trauma to the abdomen, the prosecutor said. Moreover, during the investigation, Orozco admitted to hitting his daughter, the prosecutor added.Additional trial testimony from Mia's pediatrician revealed that prior to the child's death, there were signs of previous abuse, including bruising on the baby. Furthermore, the autopsy showed healed rib fractures on the child's body, the prosecutor said.

The case was investigated by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

Los Angeles District Attorney / case VA130104 /March 22, 2018