Mom, family members have emotional outburst as couple charged in twins' deaths appear in court
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The parents accused of with horrific abuse allegations in the death of their 5-week-old twins are in jail and being held on a $750,000 bond for each case.
Angelina Belinda Calderon and Fernando Vega, both 21 years old, are charged with two counts each of injury to a child-serious bodily injury in connection to the death of their twin babies back in October 2023.
The couple made separate court appearances on Monday when their attorneys asked for bond reductions.
The couple did not comment; however, Calderon grew emotional during an earlier probable cause court hearing over the weekend.
Toward the end of her appearance, she blurted out, "You were the last one with my kids when they [explicit] died. You're making me look like I'm a bad person. I was at work when they [explicit] died," referring to her boyfriend, Vega.
ABC13 also contacted Calderon's family to get their side of the story.
One relative said, "It's God's will," and did not elaborate before shutting the door.
Edward Appelbaum, the prosecutor in the case, noted that the parents each face two counts, one of which is injury to a child by commission and one of omission.
"Commission means actually committing the crime, and omission means they allegedly did not take care of the children. The (abuses) are alleged to be horrific," Appelbaum said. "These two children were about 6 weeks old, appeared to suffer blunt force injuries, severely malnourished, and there were old and new injuries on both of these children."
Mario Madrid, Vega's defense attorney, said his client is just coming to terms with the seriousness of the charges.
"The moment was big for him with the court," Madrid said. "I found him to be respectful, and with the court, I found him to be very respectful but also very scared about the charges he is facing."
Both charges are first-degree felonies. That means if found guilty, the parents could spend life behind bars.
Calderon's bond reduction hearing is on Friday, and Vega's hearing is scheduled for late May.
ORIGINAL REPORT: HPD suspects no foul play in twin infants' deaths after being found unresponsive in crib
ABC13 reported on this story on Oct. 4, 2023.
Houston Police Department patrol officers responded to a home in the 2100 block of Linden Creek Lane regarding two infants, whom relatives identify as Massail and Mirena Vega, who were found unresponsive.
According to documents, the children's father, identified as Vega, found them in their crib, not breathing. While on the phone with dispatch, Vega was given instructions on how to perform CPR, but the twins, who were born prematurely, did not survive.
Vega, in an interview with police, said the twins were "fussy" throughout the night, and he put them in a bassinet where they had fallen asleep. The children's mother, identified as Calderon, said she saw the babies the following day and didn't wake them because she was on her way to work, documents said.
Vega then took Calderon to work before returning home, where he found their 5-week-old twins.
Police say the babies were found lying on the sofa with discolored skin and multiple bruises and contusions. One baby had multiple fractures.
An autopsy determined the infants died from multiple injuries caused by a blunt object.
It was also found that the twins hadn't received check-ups since being released from the hospital, charging documents said. Calderon then told police the twins had been sick, but they did not seek medical care.
Further investigation revealed Calderon and Vega as suspects, who were both arrested on Friday, April 19, without incident.
Calderon's sister told Eyewitness News, "She's one of the best mothers that I know," and said her sister was at work the day the babies died.
Later that day, she said her sister exclaimed through tears, "I don't know what he did to them."
Multiple family members told Eyewitness News that Vega was abusive toward Calderon. Two weeks ago, court documents show he was arrested for unlawfully restraining her.
ABC13 also learned Vega was out on bond at the time of this latest case. He was out on a charge of possession of a controlled substance.
While Calderon's aunt doesn't believe she physically harmed the children, she does think she should be held accountable for what else investigators found.
Police say both girls were malnourished and that some of their injuries were days or even weeks old.
SEE MORE: Houston parents charged in connection to twin baby girls' death Oct. 2023 death, documents say
