Mother's Boyfriend Convicted In Toddler's Abuse, Death

SILVER SPRING, MD — A Washington, D.C. man was convicted on charges of murder and child abuse in the death in March 2023 of 18-month-old Zavier Giron from Silver Spring, the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office said Friday.

Detectives identified the mother's boyfriend, Marlon Adilson Melendez, 30, as a suspect in the case. Police said his abuse of the child had caused serious injuries.

The state's attorney statement said Melendez was convicted by a jury in the Rockville court on charges of first-degree child abuse resulting in death, second-degree murder, first-degree child abuse and second-degree child abuse, Bethesda Today reported.

He faces life in prison plus another 65 years, in total, for the crimes.

Melendez, who is not Giron's biological father, is being held at the Montgomery County Correctional Facility in Boyds. His sentencing is set for June 13.

“This is an outrageously sad case involving the loss of a one-year-old baby. We express our deepest condolences to the victim’s family,” State’s Attorney John McCarthy said in the statement. “We are thankful to Montgomery County Police for their thorough investigation and to our prosecution team for their pursuit of justice on behalf of this innocent child.”

Police and responders were called to the 7900 block of Chicago Avenue in Silver Spring in March 2023 for the report of a child not breathing. Giron was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was later pronounced dead, according to police.

Investigators interviewed Giron's mother, who told them her son hadn't been feeling well. When she woke up and discovered he was not breathing, she called 911. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner performed an autopsy on Giron and found signs of child abuse.

An autopsy later determined the death was a homicide caused by blunt force injuries.