Orangevale mother, boyfriend guilty of murder in 2016 death of 5-year-old boy
An Orangevale couple have been convicted of murder in the 2016 death of a 5-year-old boy.
Jessica Prater, 37, and her boyfriend Adam Caldwell, 45, were both recently found guilty on charges including murder in the death of Zachary Prater-Stokes, Prater’s son.
Prater was convicted last week of first-degree murder by torture, child assault causing death and child abuse with great bodily injury causing death, the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office said in a news release.
Caldwell was convicted last month of second-degree murder and child assault causing death.
Prater and Zachary moved into Caldwell’s home, on Pershing Avenue in Orangevale, in April 2016, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
“Caldwell began to punish and abuse Zachary, both psychologically and physically,” the news release said. “The physical abuse became more frequent and more violent. The abuse was also inflicted by Prater.”
Prater on June 2, 2016, called 911 “to report that Zachary had swallowed water in the bathtub and was not responsive.”
Fire personnel transported Zachary to a hospital, where he never regained consciousness, prosecutors said.
“Medical evidence confirmed extensive abuse,” the DA’s news release continued. “The autopsy showed Zachary’s death was caused by blunt force injuries and water submersion.”
Prater and Caldwell have been in custody at the Sacramento County Main Jail since their arrests on June 3, 2016, one day after Prater’s 911 call.
Both defendants’ cases involved nearly three years of pretrial conferences and hearings, with trial proceedings then interrupted in March 2020 by COVID-19 protocols imposed at Sacramento Superior Court, court records show.
Caldwell was convicted by jury Oct. 8. Prater’s trial concluded with a guilty verdict last Friday.
Each will face 25 years to life in prison, according to the DA news release. Caldwell is scheduled for sentencing Nov. 19. Prater’s sentencing is set for Dec. 10.
