REDWOOD CITY—An East Palo Alto native pleaded not guilty to the murder of his girlfriend’s 2 year-old daughter on Thursday, January 26.
Adair Jeru Enriquez Zevallos, 25, was arrested after police responded to a report of a child, Leia Kiele Panduro, experiencing distress and having trouble breathing at an apartment located at 320 E. O’Keefe on November 27, 2016.
Medical officials transported the unresponsive toddler to Stanford Hospital, though she died shortly after arrival, prosecutors said. The cause of death was not immediately clear, but an autopsy showed that Panduro died from blunt-force-trauma.
Zevallos, who lived with the victim’s unidentified mother, was arrested two-days later. He pleaded not guilty, claiming that the victim’s death was accidental, said San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe.
Zevallos remains in custody at the Maguire Correctional Facility without bail. He is also scheduled to appear in court on May 3 for a preliminary hearing.
