Mom pleads guilty to caging twin sons
The Arizona Republic
Nov. 19, 2004 12:00 AM
A mother who kept her 5-year-old twin boys locked in cages pleaded guilty to attempted child abuse Thursday in Maricopa County Superior Court.
She faces a sentence of five to 10 years in prison and will be placed on lifetime probation.
Etelvina Rodriguez appeared confused as she addressed Judge Douglas L. Rayes through an interpreter. advertisement
"The only thing I want is not to go to trial," she said.
Rodriguez, 33, was initially charged with two counts of child abuse. At the time of her arrest, she told investigators that she kept the boys in cages while she was at work because her elderly husband was not able to care for them.
Both boys were "emotionally and mentally delayed" and lacked verbal skills, according to Rodriguez's attorney, R. Dean Roskosz.
The prosecutor, Deputy County Attorney Shawn Steinberg, told the court that the children have made improvements in foster care but still are developmentally disabled.
As Rayes asked repeatedly if Rodriguez understood the charges she was pleading guilty to, she responded, "When I was endangered at the hands of my husband, I tried to get help for my children. I plead guilty to that."
Roskosz clarified for the judge.
"What she's pleading guilty to is letting the treatment go on," he said.
Rodriguez's husband and co-defendant Luis, 71, also was charged with two counts of child abuse but is still undergoing treatment and evaluation to determine whether he is mentally competent to stand trial.
According to the plea agreement, the boys were imprisoned in cages from August 2002 to August 2003. An 8-year-old sibling was allowed to go to school and sleep in a normal bed. A 20-year-old half brother told police about the mistreatment of the twins.
Rodriguez will be sentenced Jan. 14.
