Defense claims teen boy died from blood infection, not starvation

BROWNSVILLE, Texas (ValleyCentral) — The fifth day of the trial against Ruben Gonzalez, a man who is one of three accused of killing 13-year-old Jesse Harrison, is underway in Brownsville.

On Monday morning, the Willacy County lead investigator in Harrison’s case was back on the stand. He was cross-examined by Ruben’s defense attorney Nathaniel Perez, who questioned him on several points of the investigation.

Perez noted that there was not much food in the fridge, which the investigator agreed with. Perez asked if he investigated whether the household was receiving government assistance, which he said they did not.

The defense asked if investigators obtained the cellphone records, to which he replied, they did not.

Perez reiterated his client’s defense that lack of food is not what ultimately killed Harrison.

“He wasn’t dying from starvation, he was dying from a blood infection,” he said.

The defense also noted that Harrison had been diagnosed with depression, which they argued can cause a loss of appetite.