Adopting a child is one of the most noble causes, yet a mother in Pennsylvania abused her adopted child for years.
A Pennsylvania courtroom heard shocking testimony this week. A husband testified against his wife in the death of their adopted 5-year-old son. According to Law&Crime, Lauren Maloberti, 36, abused her adoptive son, Landon Maloberti, for years. He finally died from blunt-force trauma in early 2023.
According to Law&Crime, Lauren’s husband, Jacob Maloberti, took a stand on Monday and described losing trust in his wife after investigators revealed evidence tied to Landon’s injuries. He said:
“The person I thought I was married to, I lost complete trust in. I can’t wrap my head around that for a year, what I was told happened to our son didn’t happen.”
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His wife is facing charges including first-degree murder, criminal homicide, aggravated assault, and child endangerment. Jacob is also facing the same criminal charges, except for first-degree murder, and is being tried separately.
The parents brought Landon to a medical center on Jan. 30, 2023, after the boy became unconscious. He was later transferred to a children’s hospital, where he died about a week later.
Medical workers told the investigators that when the parents arrived with the child, they showed “no urgency” and simply claimed that he had been “wobbly from COVID a month prior.”
Prosecutors said a forensic examination later uncovered extensive injuries, including more than 100 bruises and catastrophic brain trauma. Officials alleged the injuries were consistent with prolonged abuse.
As the trial continued, jurors also heard about a text message exchange between the couple of months before Landon’s death.
Lauren allegedly texted Jacob in July 2022:
“I just got done beating your son.”
And another message reportedly warned:
“Landon better behave.”
To which Jacob replied:
“Did he say anything to you?”
Prosecutors alleged Lauren replied, “He’s gonna get it.”
Reportedly, Jacob testified that he initially believed his wife when she told him that Landon’s condition was related to a medical issue. He said:
“When we went to court one time, she said she had something to tell me, but she couldn’t say anything. I always thought it was medical.”
Earlier testimonies in the trial revealed that Lauren had been abusing Landon for years. She treated all her other kids with love and respect, but with Landon, she was evidently cruel.
The other kids told investigators that Landon was sprayed with water, smacked by his mother, monitored by a camera and even forced to drink from a toilet, among other things.
Assistant District Attorney Cassidy Hatten told jurors:
“She took a sacred responsibility and chose to be a mother. Then it turned into cruelty.”
“Landon was isolated, mistreated, terrorized and killed. Not by a stranger but by a person who was supposed to protect him.”
Jacob’s mother, Tammy Kemerer, also testified that Lauren was affectionate toward the other children but treated Landon differently. She said:
“[Lauren] was an amazing mother with Kaden, Bella and Lilly. She was loving towards the other kids, but not Landon.”
