A Bakersfield man faces over 50 years to life in prison after he was convicted by a jury of killing his 3-week-old baby in November 2024.
Jurors on Thursday found Eduardo Gutierrez guilty of second-degree murder, assault on a child under 8 causing death and child abuse.
Gutierrez, 25, came up with a number of explanations for how his infant son suffered horrific injuries, including skull fractures and bleeding on the brain. He blamed the baby’s mother. He said a swing in the home might be the culprit. He even suggested his 18-month-old son could be responsible.
During the trial, Gutierrez testified that he would never harm 3-week-old Valentin, who died a week after being hospitalized. However, jurors also learned how Valentin’s crying annoyed Gutierrez.
Valentin was found unresponsive by the child’s mother at their home on Washington Street on Nov. 24, 2024, after being left alone with Gutierrez. When Valentin’s mother asked Gutierrez what he’d done, he responded, “I made him stop crying,” according to testimony.
The child’s mother then rushed the infant to a hospital. Authorities were called due to the severity of his injuries.The baby was flown to Valley Children’s Hospital in Madera, where he died Dec. 2.
Gutierrez didn’t go with his wife to the hospital — he left to get high, according to testimony. When questioned by investigators, he denied hurting Valentin but said his crying annoyed him. He told detectives he believed the child’s mother let him cry to “push his buttons.”
Gutierrez said Valentin’s mother might have injured the child — but she showed investigators photos and video from when she had Valentin that night in which the baby was fine.
She told investigators she woke from a nap to find Valentin in another room with Gutierrez. She knew immediately he’d been hurt — he had bruising on his face and damage to his soft spot.
Gutierre’s sentencing has been scheduled for April.
