Ivo Colon

Background

Ivo Colon was convicted of capital felony murder and murder in connection with the beating death of a child, Keriana Tellado.

Keriana Tellado was 2 years old when she was beaten to death by her mother’s live-in boyfriend, Ivo Colon.

Virginia Quintero, Keriana Tellado’s mother, was charged with risk of injury to a minor. Police said Quintero did nothing to stop the fatal beating inside her apartment.

Keriana Tellado’s sister, Crystal, was also reportedly assaulted.

The offence

Ivo Colon was convicted of capital felony for the beating death of his girlfriend’s 2-year-old daughter, Keriana Tellado, in Waterbury.

Colon killed Keriana Tellado by beating her head against a bathroom wall and holding her up by the hair when she could no longer stand.

The medical examiner said Keriana Tellado died of blunt force trauma to the head.

Authorities said Keriana Tellado had some injuries when she was about 3 weeks old.

Colon told police he became enraged with Tellado’s failure to potty train.

Colon bashed Keriana Tellado’s head against a shower wall until she died.

Witnesses said Colon began abusing the girl weeks before her death because Keriana was slow to potty train.

Two days before she died, Colon picked up Keriana by the arm after she wet herself and “heard something go pop.” Colon refused to let the mother take the girl to the hospital to treat the broken arm because he feared doctors would see cuts, bruises, and burn marks covering her body.

Colon began beating Keriana again, including kicking her and cutting her with his rings.

After the girl threw up after dinner, Colon took her to the bathroom and began banging her head against the shower wall.

“Little Keriana could not stand up, so he kept on picking her up by the hair,”

“He picked her up a couple of times and her hair was coming out in his hands. “

Keriana Tellado was also described as having extensive bruises all over her body and a broken left arm.

Authorities said Tellado was beaten over the course of 3 weeks.

Colon was also charged with assault in the beating of Keriana’s 3-year-old sister, Crystal.

Investigation

Waterbury police were on the lookout for a suspect in the murder of a Waterbury 2-year-old who escaped from police custody.

Police were led to an empty apartment on Knollwood Circle in Waterbury by a tipster.

John Connelly, State’s Attorney, said: “The police officers who worked on this investigation have all said they have never seen a child that has sustained such extensive injuries as to the extent of two year old Keriana Tellado.”

Arrest

Ivo Colon was an 18-year-old being held on $3 million bond at the time of his escape from police custody.

It was reported that Colon was not shackled or handcuffed when he made his escape.

Colon was recaptured after escaping from police custody.

He was found about midnight hiding in a vacant apartment.

Brenda Santiago, a neighbor, said: “They just opened the window, went into the apartment. I heard yelling, get down, and they arrested him.”

Colon was found right next door to Brenda Santiago.

Colon reportedly had relatives living in the apartment complex located 3 miles from police headquarters.

Police were led to the empty apartment on Knollwood Circle in Waterbury by a tipster.

Judy said: “Where was he hiding inside?” “I think they caught him in the bedroom, cause you can see the flashlights.”

Colon reportedly slipped through the fingers of authorities, and police were not talking about how he escaped.

Ivo Colon was charged with killing his girlfriend’s 2-year-old daughter, Keriana Tellado.

Keriana Tellado died after Colon allegedly bashed her head repeatedly against the bathtub.

Colon was being held on $4 million bond.

Virginia Quintero was described as 19 years old when she was arrested and was being held on $500,000 bond, charged with failing to protect her children.

Trial

Ivo Colon was convicted of Capital Felony Murder in December 2000.

After careful review of all the evidence, John Connelly stated: “After careful review of all the evidence, I felt, in the interest of justice, life in prison without the possibility of release for Colon serves the ends of justice,”

At the penalty phase, the jury filled out a special verdict form indicating it found the existence of the “especially heinous, cruel or depraved” aggravating factor in the death penalty statute, General Statutes § 53a-46a.

It also found that this aggravating factor did not outweigh the existence of any mitigating factor, a verdict requiring a life sentence.

The trial court accepted the verdict and excused the jury.

Shortly thereafter, a juror informed the sheriff that there had been a mistake on the verdict form, and the trial judge went into the deliberation room to inquire about the problem.

The court reassembled the jury and determined that there had been a “scrivener’s error” on the first verdict form.

The trial judge allowed the jury to return a second verdict in which it indicated that it found that the aggravating factor outweighed any mitigating factor, a verdict requiring a death sentence.

The defendant filed motions seeking a life sentence or a new penalty phase hearing.

The defendant contended that when the jury entered the deliberating room after returning its first verdict, the jury had been discharged and that after the jury was discharged the court lacked the power to reject the first verdict.

He also argued that the court had engaged in inappropriate ex parte contact with the jurors in the deliberating room.

After a hearing, the court found the jury had not been finally discharged after it returned its first verdict and that the state had borne its burden of proving that any improper ex parte contact between the judge and the jurors was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt.

Accordingly, it denied the defendant’s postverdict motions.

The defendant challenged the court’s rulings on appeal, including the rulings on those postverdict motions.

He also claimed that the court denied him his right of allocution because it did not allow him to address the sentencing jury before it imposed the death penalty.

He raised other claims as to the penalty phase, including that the court improperly excused prospective jurors for cause based on their views of the death penalty.

He also claimed the court should have continued the case until the completion of an ongoing study concerning whether there are racial disparities in the administration of the death penalty in Connecticut.

He challenged that the “especially heinous, cruel or depraved” aggravating factor in § 53a-46a is unconstitutionally vague.

He argued the court wrongly admitted evidence of his uncharged misconduct toward the victim during the week of her death to establish that the offense was committed in an especially heinous, cruel or depraved manner.

As to the guilt phase, he challenged the denial of his motion to suppress statements and evidence on the ground that the court improperly found that the entry of police into his apartment was justified under the emergency exception to the warrant requirement.

He also argued that General Statutes § 53a-54b, which makes the murder of a person under sixteen a capital felony, was unconstitutional insofar as it makes the victim’s age a basis for rendering a defendant eligible for the death penalty.

Sentencing

Ivo Colon was sentenced to death in December 2000.

A jury convicted Colon of capital felony in 2000 in the killing of Keriana Tellado in her mother’s apartment in Waterbury and ruled that he should be put to death.

On December 17, 2004, the death sentence was overturned by the State Supreme Court.

A second death penalty hearing was scheduled at Waterbury Superior Court.

On April 3, 2006, Colon was sentenced to life in prison with no chance for parole after a state prosecutor decided not to seek the death penalty.

Superior Court Judge William T. Cremins imposed the sentence on Ivo Colon.

A hearing on whether Colon should be put to death by lethal injection was to begin Thursday.

John Connelly told a judge he did not intend to go forward with the new hearing and said: “The jury was correct in 2000 in sentencing him to death.” “However, because of the passage of time and the impact this has had on everyone involved in this case, I felt, even if he received the death penalty again, there’d be further years of litigation. ” “By having him sentenced to live without the possibility of release, the tragedy of the death of Keriana Tellado can be brought to an end,” he said.

Colon was to be moved to the general prison population from death row.

Appeals

As of December 17, 2004, the death sentence of Ivo Colon was overturned by the State Supreme Court.

The appellate issues included the trial court’s handling of jury instructions and related penalty phase matters.

The appellate decision addressed the defendant’s claims concerning scrivener’s error, juror discharge, right of allocution, prospective jurors excused for cause, continuation pending a study on racial disparities, vagueness of the “especially heinous, cruel or depraved” aggravating factor, and admission of evidence of uncharged misconduct.

Outcome

Ivo Colon’s death sentence was overturned on December 17, 2004.

Ivo Colon was resentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole on April 1, 2006.

Aftermath

A state prosecutor indicated he would move toward a second death sentence, but on April 3, 2006 the prosecutor decided not to seek the death penalty.

Keriana Tellado was expected to be buried on Tuesday.

Relatives attempted to collect donations to help pay for funeral expenses to bury a little girl.

Robert Tellado, Keriana Tellado’s uncle, said: “I was trying to check but nobody opened the door -nothing, had her locked up in the house.”

A quote about the family’s grief was given: “We’re all doing real bad, she was so beautiful we all miss her.”

Four relatives of Ivo Colon were charged with hindering prosecution.

Virginia Quintero was charged with 2 counts of risk of injury to a minor.

Ivo Colon also faced additional charges for his escape.

Other details

Ivo Colon was described as being from Waterbury.

Colon faced charges including capital felony, murder, assault, and additional charges for his escape.

Virginia Quintero was arrested for failing to protect her children.

It was reported that Keriana Tellado’s mother awaited trial on manslaughter and risk of injury charges.