Two Florida parents are facing murder charges over the death of their 12-year-old son, after allegedly refusing to seek medical help for him due to their religious beliefs.
A grand jury returned the indictment against Qwentosha Massaquoi and Louis Moinina Massaquoi on Monday, accusing them of “shocking” abuse of the child and “premeditating” his murder.
Investigators found multiple videos on the parents’ cell phones, one of which included the boy’s father taunting the boy and denying him water, according to an arrest affidavit. In another, the boy is made fun of for wearing a diaper.
Louis Massaquoi had contacted the Lee County Sheriff's Office on January 27, according to the Fort Myers News-Press, telling them his son was "sick and [had] possibly passed away.”
The affidavits reportedly stated that the boy had been sick for three days leading to his death and had refused to eat or thrown up when he did.
The Massaquois had not taken him to a doctor because of their religious beliefs. Qwentosha Massaquoi told police they "don't believe in doctors or medicine and believe if they give everything to God, he will fix it,” per the affidavit.
An autopsy later revealed no obvious cause of death, but noted that the child was severely dehydrated, malnourished, and extremely emaciated, per the News-Press.
The pair is charged with first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse, and failure to report suspected child abuse, abandonment, or neglect, according to State Attorney Amira Fox.
“The facts of this case are extremely disturbing. I appreciate the Lee County Grand Jury’s attention to the evidence presented. These indictments are another step toward justice for the child victim who endured a life of extreme and shocking neglect,” Fox said in a statement.
The Massaquois were arrested in June following an extensive investigation and have been held at Lee County Jail ever since. The indictment alleges that the couple premeditated their son's death from September 2024 to January 2025.
The 12-year-old child has not been publicly named, but was homeschooled. His mother said she believed he was autistic, despite no diagnosis, according to the News-Press.
The grand jury indictment states that the couple “did unlawfully, from a premeditated design to effect the death of a human being, or while engaged in the perpetration of, or in the attempt to perpetrate an aggravated child abuse, kill and murder the victim.”
It also alleges child abuse “by intentionally inflicting physical or mental injury upon a child under 18 years of age,” as well as “willfully tortur[ing] or maliciously punish[ing] the victim.”
“The Lee County Sheriff’s Office did an extensive and detailed investigation into this case. It is with the evidence they collected that the presentment to the Lee County Grand Jury and the resulting indictments were possible today,” said State Attorney Fox.
