Leticia Bravo sentenced to prison for starving Newburgh's 7-year-old Peter Cuacuas to death
Leticia Bravo was sentenced Tuesday to 15 years in prison for the death of a 7-year-old Newburgh boy who starved while in her care last year.
Bravo, 40, was sentenced by Orange County Court Judge Craig Stephen Brown for her role in the death of Peter Cuacuas on Feb. 10, 2021. She was the caregiver for Peter, who weighed only 37 pounds when he died of malnutrition, an Orange County medical examiner determined.
Bravo kept Peter locked and hidden in a bedroom, according to authorities, who said the boy never logged on for virtual schooling dating back to January 2021, despite school officials having numerous conversations with Bravo.
In a letter read in court during her sentencing, Bravo said she wanted to apologize to Peter "because my actions cost him his life. I am the direct cause of Peter not being with us anymore."
"All he wanted was a mom and I never was that mom he needed," she added. "I pray every night for Peter's forgiveness."
In March Bravo pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter, a felony, admitting she knowingly under-fed Peter and failed to provide him with medical attention she knew he needed.
"It is always a tragedy when a life is lost and especially in this case when a seven-year-old child is lost tragically," Bravo's lawyer, Eric Shiller, said Tuesday. "We are however disappointed in the sentence that she received and believed that the court should have sentenced her to 10 years in state prison for her crime due to the fact that Ms. Bravo was and is completely remorseful to this day. She apologized throughout for her actions that caused Peter's death."
"She admitted wrongdoing in open court and has to live with this grave and tragic mistake for the rest of her life," he added. "As a result, Ms. Bravo’s own children are suffering as well because they will now be without their mother."
Peter's father, Arturo Cuacuas, was the boyfriend of Bravo.
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During the 2020-2021 school year Bravo, a former child-care provider, became the boy's primary caregiver, investigators said. Peter spent Saturdays at his father's apartment, but otherwise lived with Bravo at her William Street apartment in the city.
Cuacuas brought his son to Montefiore St. Luke's Hospital the morning of Feb. 10, 2021, and he was pronounced dead shortly after.
Cuacuas previously pleaded guilty to criminally negligent homicide, a felony, for his role in Peter's death. He admitted that he noticed Peter's condition deteriorating but failed to take action to help him.
The plea deal for Cuacuas, 54, calls for him to receive a prison term of 1 ⅓ to 4 years when he is sentenced, which was to be scheduled after Bravo's case concluded. He is due back in court on June 27.
Bravo and Cuacuas are both being held at the Orange County Jail.
Matt Spillane covers breaking news throughout the Hudson Valley. Click here for his latest stories. Follow him on Twitter @MattSpillane. Check out our latest subscription offers here.
This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: Newburgh's Leticia Bravo sentenced for Peter Cuacuas' death
