7-Year-Old Dies After Father, Girlfriend Allegedly Starved Him Over Tantrums

A 27-year-old father in Indiana, along with his 21-year-old girlfriend were sentenced to 30 years in prison each for starving the seven-year-old son of the man to death.

The father, Kevin Gavarrete, and his girlfriend Julia Sizemore were found to have subjected the boy, Kayden Gavarrete to starvation, torture and beatings allegedly because he threw tantrums, resulting in his death just before Christmas in 2024.

Marion Superior Court Judge Marshelle Dawkins Broadwell ordered Kevin Gavarrete and Julia Sizemore to each serve 30 years in a state correctional facility for their role in Kayden's death, according to court records.

The court handed down the sentences after both defendants reached a deal with the state prosecutor. In the deal both Gavarrete and Sizemore agreed to plead guilty to counts of neglect of a dependent by placing him in an endangered situation.

Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears said after the hearing, "In my 20 year career as a prosecutor, this is among the worst cases we have seen.”

“As the father of the child who was the same age as Kayden, it's gut wrenching. This resolution ensures both defendants will spend decades in prison, and provides certainty for Kayden’s family."

The case began when the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department responded at around 4:00 p.m on December 22, 2024 to a home in the 1300 block of South Pershing Avenue regarding a possible death by starvation.

Upon reaching the home, officers found Kayden unresponsive in the bathroom. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The following day, Gavarrete and Sizemore were arrested and charged.

Detectives noted that the boy was emaciated, covered with bruises and cuts in various stages of healing. He had also suffered burn marks on his body and face according to Indianapolis Star reports. The Marin County Coroner’s Office said Kayden weighed only 32 pounds, determining his cause of death to be multiple forced trauma injuries and complications arising from malnutrition.

In an interview with police, Gavarrete said that he had been up most of the previous night and hence slept in until late. He first knocked on Kayden's bedroom door, but did not get a response, so he went outside and smoked a cigarette. He returned around 2:30 p.m., entered Kayden’s room and found him unresponsive.

Gavarrete said Kayden appeared malnourished because he was sick recently and refused to eat or drink. He asserted that the boy's physical injuries were self-inflicted, claiming Kayden was always throwing tantrums and regularly threw himself on the ground.

Gavarrete added that he had been homeschooling the boy for about a year due to bullying. He also explained that despite the boy's condition he did not take him to the hospital because he feared how staff would react.

Sizemore told the police that she did not see Gavarrete ever hitting Kayden and that she did not want to get involved in his personal business.