Man pleads not guilty to raping, killing 2-year-old boy
Apr 3, 2013, 3:44 PM | Updated: 4:33 pm
A Tacoma man has been charged with the rape and murder of his girlfriend’s 2-year-old son.
Jake J. Musga, 19, pleaded not guilty Wednesday to first degree murder and rape of a child. Bail was set at $2 million.
“Nothing shocks the conscience more than the murder of a child,” said Pierce County Prosecutor Mark Lindquist. “This is a particularly horrifying crime and we will hold the defendant accountable.”
Witnesses called 911 on March 30 to report that Musga was in the lobby of the Commencement Terrace apartment complex holding a badly bruised boy who was not breathing.
“Medical staff noted (the boy) was in ‘major shock’ and his condition was ‘catastrophically bad,'” prosecutors said in a press release. “He showed no significant brain activity, and was pronounced dead later that day.”
According to prosecutors, the boy suffered severe external and internal injuries to the rectum “consistent with penetration by an object.” He had a blood alcohol level of .12 at the time of his death.
“Why beat a child? Why violate a child? Why force feed a child alcohol? We’ll probably never understand why,” Lindquist said.
Musga told police that the child died after falling from his bed.
