Sentenced: Girlfriend Who Slowly Starved 7-Year-Old To Death

NEWBURGH, NY — The woman who slowly starved her boyfriend's 7-year-old son to death was sentenced Tuesday to 15 years in prison and five years post-release supervision based on her plea deal with Orange County prosecutors.

Leticia Bravo, 40, of Newburgh, had pleaded guilty in March to manslaughter, a month after the boy's father, Arturo Cuacuas, 54, of Newburgh, pleaded guilty to criminally negligent homicide.

On Feb. 10, 2021, Bravo brought Peter Cuacuas’ lifeless body to St. Luke’s Hospital in Newburgh. He was pronounced dead shortly thereafter. An investigation revealed that Bravo became the boy's primary caretaker in September 2020. She was the girlfriend of Peter’s father, Arturo Cuacuas.

An autopsy conducted by the Orange County Medical Examiner concluded that Peter, who weighed just 37 pounds, had died as a result of malnutrition.

For five months, Bravo kept Peter secreted in a bedroom behind a door that locked from the outside.

Arturo Cuacuas admitted that in the months prior to Peter’s death, he saw Peter with Bravo once a week, noted his deteriorating condition and failed to help him.

Pursuant to his plea dea;, Arturo Cuacuas will be sentenced to one and one-third to four years in state prison, the maximum legally permissible sentence for Criminally Negligent Homicide. The plea agreement required that he cooperate against Bravo. SEE: Dad Admits Role In Child's Death, Will Testify Against Girlfriend

“There is no more innocent victim than a child,” said Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler. “The facts and circumstances of this case are unimaginable, and the community collectively grieves the loss of Peter Cuacuas. No one deserves the type of depraved mistreatment the victim in this case suffered. The dedicated efforts of the law enforcement agencies involved in the investigation of this case has resulted in a just sentence that will hold this defendant responsible for her actions.”