On September 22, 2020 four children were left in the care of Ubence Ruben Hernandez III while his girlfriend went to the store.
Later that same day, officers were called to the Valley Baptist Micro Hospital in Weslaco, Texas for a report of a dead infant, identified in the indictment as Julius Flores.
Medical personnel told investigators that when the child was brought into the hospital, they had been told that he had "stopped breathing and went unconscious." An autopsy revealed though that the child had died from a fractured spine due to blunt force trauma.
On October 6, Hernandez was arrested. It is unclear whether he has remained in jail since then as MyRGV repots that he was also arrested on November 19 for pointing a gun at a woman by the name of Patricia Ann Garces on September 22, 2020. He is due to appear in court on this charge on January 28, 2021.
It wasn't until January 14, 2021 that a grand jury indicted him in the death of Julius. Noted as already being in custody, Hernandez was indicted on charges of capitol murder, felony murder, and a charge of injury to a child with substantial bodily injury and a note that it was done knowingly or with intent.
He was arraigned on the charges on January 21, and his bond is listed as being set at $750,000. He remains in custody at the Hidalgo County Jail.
A note on the court proceedings indicates that the state does not intend to seek the death penalty. He would face a possible life sentence if convicted.
Hernandez is due back in court on February 10, 2021.
According to a court records search, Hernandez pleaded guilty to a charge of attempted murder in 2003 and was sentenced to 5 years in state jail with a credit of 54 days served. That sentence was noted as running concurrently with a sentence of 3 years for robbery.