Graphic photos of starving teen shown in murder trial for alleged abuser

BROWNSVILLE, Texas (ValleyCentral) — The friend and neighbor of 13-year-old Jesse Harrison Jr. testified Wednesday in the trial for the man accused of fatally starving and abusing him.

Ruben Gonzalez is on trial for the murder of Harrison. He was indicted along with Harrison's mother Sabrina Loredo and grandmother Antonia Gonzalez, who are scheduled to go to trial in October.

Ruben, Loredo and Antonia lived at the same residence as Harrison and were his guardians.

On Wednesday morning, Ruben's defense argued that Harrison was killed by cadmium toxicity. Cadmium is a heavy metal that can cause direct harm to humans, according to a study posted in the National Library of Medicine. Prosecutors argued that Harrison got cadmium poisoning from having to find food from garbage cans.

Friend's testimony

On Wednesday, a 15-year-old boy who went to school with Harrison took the stand, testifying that the young boy was like a brother to him.

During Wednesday's trial, the State asked the boy about a conversation he had with Harrison before his death. The boy testified that the two had discussed life and death.

_{Ruben Gonzalez is facing charges of murder and injury to a child in connection to the death of Jesse Harrison Jr. (Photo: Steven Masso)}

The teenager recalled Harrison having tears in his eyes as he told his friend that is he were to die, he would look down upon him and look after him.

The boy told the court that Harrison was not getting enough food. The teen said he would give Harrison his food everyday at school, and that Harrison would eat it quickly, as if he could not get enough.

Neighbor

The State also called upon one of Harrison's neighbors, a 38-year-old woman whose family lived across from him.

The woman recalled that she would regularly see Harrison, two to three times a week while he was on his bike in the neighborhood. She said that changed when Ruben moved in. The neighbor described Ruben as Antonia's boyfriend.

According to the neighbor, Harrison behaved like a normal and happy child, until Ruben arrived. She testified that when Ruben moved in, in 2019, he started building a fence and would no longer let the children go over and play at her family's residence.

(Photo: Steven Masso)

The woman then explained that on one day in June of 2020, she and her sisters filled up her car with food after receiving aid from a COVID-19 program. When the women returned home, they asked Harrison to call his grandmother to see if they wanted any food.

She said at this point, Ruben stepped in "rudely" and asked what she wanted before allowing the children to take any of the food from her car. She testified that, she noticed Harrison had a black eye and asked how it happened.

Harrison looked down and stopped engaging with her, according to the woman. She said she looked at Ruben in that moment, who told her "that's how kids are."

The woman recalled the night of January 18, 2021, where she said her father had become ill. She said she went to feed his animals outside when she heard a scream come from the other side of the fence, on Harrison's side.

The neighbor recalled hearing the sound of a child or a woman scream "Ya," or "Stop," in English. She told the court she went over and knocked on the side of Harrison's house before she was chased out by two vicious Pitbulls.

"I contemplated calling the cops," she said, but ultimately she decided against it after speaking with her sister.

The woman continued, stating that she learned that Harrison was taken out of the house in a stretcher the night after she heard the yelling. Tears filled her eyes and she described feeling an immense amount of guilt in the courtroom.

When cross-examined, the woman recalled telling Texas Rangers that Harrison appeared to be 9 years old and that all of the adults in the home should be arrested. Harrison was 13 at the time of his death.

The woman also recalled telling investigators that she had read on social media that Antonia smoked crack cocaine.

When asked by the defense, she added that she had never seen Ruben mistreat any of the children.

Forensic nurse

The final witness called upon by the State on Wednesday was a forensic nurse who worked on the child abuse response team, or CAART, at Valley Baptist, when Harrison was brought in.

The nurse recalled that Harrison was brought to the emergency room by ambulance and was unresponsive. His mother told staff that he had tested positive for COVID-19 and was "breathing terrible." His mother added that in the days prior, he had seemed disoriented and was starting to get skinny.

Prosecutors showed the court photos that were taken by the nurse as Harrison was brought in. Several in the courtroom looked away, while some began to cry.

Harrison had abrasions throughout his body in various stages of healing. His collarbones, scapulas, ribs, hip bones and vertebrae were abnormally visible. His hands and feet were swollen. He had a piece of flesh missing from his right knee, which the nurse referred to as an avulsion. When asked, she added that an average person would seek medical care for this injury, as it could have been sutured.

He had cuts to his face near his eyebrows, bruising to his genitals and was covered in a purple stain, from what she called, a medication from Mexico.

Witness statements concluded Wednesday at 3:30 p.m.

The nurse is expected to continue testifying Thursday morning.