SAN FRANCISCO — San Jose police on Monday named a mother and her former boyfriend as suspects in the February murder of a 6-year-old boy.
Police said Oscar Jimenez Jr. died after being severely beaten in his San Jose home Feb. 18. The boy's mother and her ex-boyfriend allegedly took the body to Phoenix, where authorities discovered it Saturday.
The live-in boyfriend, Samuel Corona, 34, was taken into custody in Phoenix on Saturday and remains in Arizona.
Corona, who previously served at least two stints in prison, has a history of violence including robbery, aggravated assault against a police officer and resisting arrest, police said.
Corona's arrest came after more than 20 members of Phoenix's Gang Enforcement Unit began a manhunt Sept. 4. Police would not say what his charges were.
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Corona, who is awaiting extradition to Santa Clara County, does not yet have an attorney, police said.
The mother, Kathryn Jimenez, 38, is being held in San Jose on charges of parental abduction and deprivation of visitation rights after a report filed by Oscar's father. She has no criminal record.
The mother's attorney, Santa Clara County public defender Ken Mandell, emphasized Monday that Jimenez has been cooperating with police for weeks and was instrumental in helping them find the boy's body and arrest Corona.
The couple met in November, and Jimenez's relatives became immediately worried about her physical and mental safety, Mandell said. "He was abusive to her — very abusive. He threatened her, hit her, choked her, threatened her family," Mandell said.
"People in her life will tell you she was a good and sweet parent. She's a meek and mild personality. He maintained dominion and control over a very meek and mild person."
Jimenez was next scheduled to appear in court on Oct. 4. It's unclear when Corona will be extradited.
Police would not provide more details of the ongoing investigations in California and in Arizona. But Sgt. Nick Muyo described the boy's bodily injuries as "over the top."
"We hope more details will come to light soon," Muyo said.
The boy is San Jose's 19th homicide victim of the year, police said.
