Mythia Latka, Pueblo, Colorado mother found guilty of 2 year old special needs ‘preventable’ death sentenced to life in prison after last month convicted of first degree murder. What went wrong?
A Pueblo, Colorado woman found guilty of first-degree murder last month in connection to the death of her 2-year-old child, has been sentenced to life in prison without parole according to the Pueblo County District Attorney’s Office.
Mythia Latka, 25, was previously convicted on March 13 of first-degree murder — knowingly causing the death of a child under the age of 12 while in a position of trust.
Latka was arrested on March 31, 2023, after her 2-year-old toddler son passed away at a Pueblo hospital from his injuries, according to Pueblo Police. An investigation ensued, leading to the arrest of Latka for child abuse causing death.
Detectives learned that the child lived with Latka, then 23 years old, at a residence in the 2200 block of East 12th Street. Authorities obtained and executed a search warrant on the home and interviewed Latka about the circumstances of her son’s death.
During the interview, Latka said that prior to his death, she had ‘become frustrated’ with him because he had been ‘screaming and crying’ and repeatedly pulled out his tracheal tube, per KRDO. She explained that the boy was nonverbal and required a ‘G tube’ to eat, adding that the tracheal tube helped him breathe but was not always necessary.
Latka claimed she checked on her son at about 6 a.m. before leaving him in bed to sleep with his arms swaddled tightly to his sides in a blanket. When she came back at about 3:15 p.m., she said he was ‘blue’ in the face and not responsive. The mother said she tried to drive to the hospital herself, but her car broke down so she called 911.
During police questioning, police noticed the boy suffering scratches on his face along with bruising on his body (as a result of the mother claiming trying to hold the boy still) and asked about the rearing of the boy.
@mythialatka♬ I Got You – Ciara
In one instance the mother admitted when her son tried to take his tracheal tube out, that she would ‘spank’ the boy and said that at least once she ‘popped’ him in the mouth, KRDO reported. She told police that she repeatedly declined professional help because she took a class on how to care for her son the previous year and ‘knew what was best for the boy.’
But there was more to come.
During further police questioning, Latka’s roommate told police that she saw Latka put the boy in the corner, tie his hands, and smash his head against the wall several times, splitting his lip. Police noted there was blood on the spot of the wall where the roommate said the attack took place. The roommate further said she’d never seen Latka clean or care for the child’s medical equipment.
Doctors determined that the toddler likely died from an obstruction in the tracheal tube that deprived him of oxygen and further noted that an alarm would have gone off to alert the caregiver, saying the death was ‘definitely preventable.’
Deputy District Attorney David Dingess argued Latka had been trained in the care of her 2-year-old special needs infant son and knowingly made choices that were ‘practically certain’ to cause his death by acute dehydration.
‘[N]ot only were Mythia’s actions reckless, she knowingly left her [her son] unattended despite her knowledge of [her son’s] medical conditions and daily care needs,’ a probable cause affidavit stated, according to lawandcrime.
‘Mythia admitted to being frustrated with [her son’s] behavior and not only physically abusing [her son], causing bruising and abrasions, but leaving [her son] unattended, wrapped in a blanket and unable to help [redacted]. This action or rather inaction is what ultimately led to [her son’s] death.’
Latka a mother of two other young children, in her defence said she was constantly exhausted with taking care of three children with very little money and alleged that she had no support from the children’s fathers while having to care for a special needs child.
Of note, during trial one of the fathers of Latka’s two other surviving sons (who did not exhibit any physical signs of abuse) pushed back stating that Latka prevented him from seeing his son and that he was forced to undergo child protection services.
‘She would always use the kids against us, like a pawn … if you wanted to talk to the kid or anything, she’d be like, ‘Send me $50.’ For five years, I always wanted to be there for (my son) and be a dad, but she took that from me. And after all this, I had to battle CPS for two years just to get custody,’ the father told the court.
Come March 13, a jury returned a unanimous verdict, finding Latka guilty of first-degree murder for a child under 12 in a position of trust. The jury determined the boy’s death had been ‘entirely preventable’ but that Latka failed to protect the toddler according to the DA’s office.
The DA said Latka was sentenced to life in prison without parole on March 31.
Life in prison without parole is a mandatory sentence for first-degree murder in Colorado.
The Chieftain newspaper reported that after the verdict, Latka’s lawyer indicated that he planned to file an appeal.
