Posted: April 29, 2008 09:37 AM PDT

Updated: May 2, 2008 03:15 PM PDT

SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) -- Friday marked the first day of sentencing for a man convicted of 14 counts of child abuse in Hays County.

Cesar Mojica-Carmona

Cesar Mojica-Carmona faces life in prison for his role in beating, biting and starving his three children.

One of the most telling statements came from one of the rehab specialists who works with the children.

Raylene Bell, administrator at Consolidated Rehabilitation Therapies in San Marcos, said one of the children will point to scars on her body and say "old daddy did." The children are living with foster parents.

Investigators on Friday told jurors that cocaine was found in the house, and experts said the children are severely behind in development for their age.

Bell said one of the children, at 4 years old, can only speak in phrases of one or two words.

The defense described the children's development much differently.

Sara Amaya

"We've seen the children once or twice throughout the two weeks in the courtroom," said Tamara Needles, Mojica-Carmona's defense attorney. "And they look like good, normal kids, and that's always a relief, as well."

The sentencing is expected to last into next week.

The defense said it could argue for probation, since he's eligible.

"Something suitable, we'll have to wait and see how that comes out," Needles said. "He is probation eligible, so that is something that we do anticipate looking at as well as a term of years."

The prosecution could ask for up to life in prison.

Hays County father found guilty of abusing his children

SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) -- Mojica-Carmona stood silent Thursday evening in a Hays County courtroom for an ironic 14 minutes as a judge read a guilty verdict for 14 counts of knowingly injuring his children.

Jurors watched stoically as Judge Jack Robison read the guilty verdicts, which said Mojica-Carmona had beaten and bitten his three children several times in October 2006 at their trailer home in Dripping Springs.

"Happy Hallelujah," said one Hays County social worker who declined to be identified outside the courthouse after the verdict.

"This is the best day of my life," said a CPS worker who also declined to be identified. She said she had worked on the case for more than a year.

"I think he's happy it's over," said Will Holgate, Mojica-Carmona's attorney. "He understood the verdict, and he's ready to go on and go to the next step."

Prosecutors said they could take up to two days for their portion of the sentencing phase of the trial.

A psychologist testified Mojica-Carmona had the mindset of an 8-year-old.

The jury, composed of six men and six women, began deliberating Mojica-Carmona's fate Tuesday. Will Holgate, one of Mojica-Carmona's attorneys, guessed jurors were taking so long because they had to work through 57 pages of charges in the case.

Holgate said the case was not a "slam dunk," like the prosecution thought.

The jury heard from the father Monday, and he admitted to abusing his children at their trailer home in Dripping Springs. The defense rested just before noon Tuesday, and closing arguments finished later in the afternoon.

Mojica-Carmona said he was abused as a child and sobbed as he told jurors about his past. He did not cry when pictures were shown to the court of his three children and their malnourished bodies, bite marks and inability to stand because of their broken bones.

A psychologist called by the defense finished testifying Tuesday morning and spoke about Mojica-Carmona's abusive past. Only he spoke about his past, because his family members never testified.

Holgate said the three abused children have been placed in foster care. A fourth child, who was born recently, was also placed in foster care.

Sara Amaya, Mojica-Carmona's wife, also faces a trial for the same counts of injury to a child.

No court date has been set for that trial.

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Emphasis added by H4K Editor