Couple pleads guilty to murdering newborn baby in Oxnard
David Luna Villa, left, and Andrea Torralba Camacho, right, have both pleaded guilty to the murder and assault of Camacho's newborn baby in 2019.
VENTURA, Calif. - An Oxnard couple pleaded guilty to killing a newborn baby in the hospital, the Ventura County District Attorney's Office announced Monday.
David Luna Villa and Andrea Torralba Camacho were charged with the murder and assault of Camacho's newborn child.
According to the District Attorney's office, Villa and Camacho were in a relationship when they moved to Oxnard from Oaxaca, Mexico in 2019. At the time, Camacho was pregnant from an alleged rape by another man in Mexico, and she did not want the baby, officials said.
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Months later, Camacho went into labor at St. John's Medical Center in Oxnard and gave birth to a baby boy named Diego. That night, officials said, the couple tried to kill the baby. When that didn't work, officials said Villa strangled the newborn to death before placing the baby back in the bassinet and calling the nurse.
The child was taken to the ICU and pronounced dead the next day.
"This case is a tragedy that was completely preventable," said prosecutor Amber Lee. "California’s Safe Surrender Baby Law would have allowed the defendants to walk away from the hospital and leave baby Diego in the care of medical staff. However, Villa chose to take the life of a defenseless infant who was less than a day old. It’s truly heart breaking that baby Diego’s life was so callously disregarded."
The state's Safe Surrender Baby Law lets parents or guardians confidentially surrender an infant that's three days old or younger to any hospital emergency room or designated fire station.
Camacho pleaded guilty to second-degree murder on Jan. 20, while Villa pleaded guilty to first-degree murder on Monday, Feb. 27. They're both scheduled to be sentenced in March.