A 24-year-old Philadelphia man, Charles Acosta, has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the brutal murder of a 2-year-old Reading boy in 2023. The case has shocked the community and raised serious concerns about child safety during babysitting.
Acosta was found guilty of first-degree murder by a jury in May after a three-day trial. He was convicted for causing the death of Emiliano Velazquez, who suffered multiple severe injuries while under Acosta’s care.
On September 19, Berks County Judge Eleni Geishauser handed down the sentence, confirming that Acosta would spend the rest of his life behind bars without the chance of parole.
Story Highlights:
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Victim: 2-year-old Emiliano Velazquez
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Suspect: Charles Acosta, 24, Philadelphia resident
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Conviction: First-degree murder
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Sentence: Life in prison without parole
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Incident Date: Early hours of May 5, 2023
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Location: Reading, Pennsylvania
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Cause of Death: Multiple traumatic injuries, ruled homicide
Early on May 5, 2023, Emiliano was rushed to Penn State Health St. Joseph Medical Center in Bern Township with critical injuries. He was later transferred to Penn State Hershey Medical Center in Hershey, Dauphin County, for advanced care.
Doctors reported that Emiliano arrived without a pulse and had to be resuscitated immediately. They discovered extensive intra-abdominal contamination, septic shock, gastric perforations, and critically low oxygen levels in his body tissue. Despite undergoing surgery, Emiliano’s condition worsened, and he tragically passed away shortly after 2 p.m.
An autopsy later revealed that Emiliano had died from multiple traumatic injuries, and the death was officially ruled a homicide.
Acosta, who lived with Emiliano and his mother in the 600 block of Schuylkill Avenue, was babysitting the boy at the time of the incident. According to police, Acosta initially told investigators that Emiliano had vomited and complained of stomach discomfort, but appeared relatively normal.
Nearly four hours later, Acosta contacted Emiliano’s mother, urging her to return home immediately. “He said Emiliano was vomiting blood and seemed very lethargic,” she recalled.
When Emiliano’s mother arrived home around 1 a.m., she noticed her son’s body had swollen dramatically. She questioned Acosta: “Why is his entire body swollen?”
Acosta then drove the family to the hospital while the mother called 911. Dispatchers instructed them to go to St. Joseph Medical Center, which was just minutes away.
Authorities interviewed Acosta twice, once on May 8 and again on June 19, but he failed to provide a reasonable explanation for how Emiliano sustained such serious injuries while under his supervision. Investigators confirmed that the injuries were consistent with adult-inflicted trauma.
Acosta was later taken into custody by a U.S. Marshals task force, Berks County detectives, and Philadelphia police in July at his home in Philadelphia’s Tacony section.
The tragic death of Emiliano Velazquez has highlighted the dangers of leaving young children unsupervised and the critical importance of child safety. Charles Acosta’s sentencing marks the conclusion of a heartbreaking case that has left lasting scars on the Reading community.
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