A Richmond mother has been arrested for allegedly torturing and killing her 8-year-old son in a case that police called one of the most disturbing crimes they have ever investigated.
"Based on the obvious physical abuse, it's just horrific what this child went through," said Richmond Police Department Lt. Mark Gagan. The boy had whip marks, burns, cuts and scars "over every inch of his body."
Teresa Marie Moses, 23, was being held in the county jail Monday on suspicion of child endangerment, torture and murder in connection with the death of her son, Raijon Daniels. Her bail was set at $2.1 million.
Police believe that the child had been abused for months and possibly years before being murdered.
"It was the most disturbing crime scene I've ever seen," said Gagan. "From what I've seen and heard about this case, I just don't understand how a mother could do this to her child."
Police said Moses summoned police Friday evening to her apartment in the 700 block of S. 40th St. for a medical emergency. The child was taken to Kaiser Permanente Medical Center, where he was later pronounced dead.
The mother told police she had punished the boy for misbehaving, Gagan said.
Richmond police plan to bring the case to Contra Costa prosecutors later this week, after which Moses could be formally charged in the slaying.
Police are still waiting on a report from the Contra Costa County Coroner for a specific cause of death, but Gagan said that police were confident that they have enough evidence to prove the torture and child endangerment charges even without a cause of death.
If convicted of all the charges, Moses could face a life sentence, Gagan said
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