A California man is facing multiple life sentences after killing a 3-week-old baby. The 32-year-old man was convicted of murder, kidnapping, four counts of attempted murder and a slew of other crimes. According to Time , Anthony Ray McCall was convicted Friday of kidnapping and killing Eliza De La Cruz as well as shooting her parents.
In the bizarre incident, McCall stormed the De La Cruz residence on January 3, 2015, after following Eliza’s mother from a bus stop. He shot the mother, father, and uncle with a gun fitted with a potato silencer before forcefully taking the baby girl.
During the trial, prosecutors revealed that Anthony McCall stole the infant at the behest of Giseleangelique Rene D’Milian who had lied to a married boyfriend that she had given birth while he was out of the country. Eliza De La Cruz was found dead the next day in a dumpster. Investigators say the baby was killed the same day she was kidnapped, but are still unsure why she was murdered.
KTLA is reporting that McCall tried to kidnap another child less than a month after abducting and murdering Eliza. The news report reveals that he attempted to kidnap the 4-month-old son of a woman in a hotel room , but the abduction was thwarted as eagle-eyed employees stormed the room causing McCall to run away.
Eliza’s mother, Jacqueline Honorato, testified at McCall’s trial revealing that she pleaded with him not to take her child, but could not stop him. The distraught mother said she heard a woman’s voice telling the child, “I’m your new mommy now.”
McCall is the second defendant to be arraigned for the death of Eliza De La Cruz. Giseleangelique Rene D’Milian pleaded no contest to one count of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder in January and was given 25 years to life. A third defendant, Todd Boudreaux, who pleaded guilty to being an accomplice will be sentenced alongside McCall on March 19.
This is not the first time that a little baby will be murdered in sadistic circumstances. In 2015, Matthew Warner tortured and killed his infant daughter , Ellorah, who was just 19-days-old. Warner had beaten his daughter to death while the baby’s mother was working.
The baby’s grandmother told the LA Times that she heard noises coming from the bedroom and tried to call the police, but the phone had been disconnected. According to her, by the time she called 911 at a neighbor’s house, Warner had bolted with Ellorah. Warner initially told police that the baby was missing before leading them to where he hid her body. A report by ABC 7 disclosed that he was eventually sentenced to 50 years in prison .
