The jury showed more than 30 videos of children begging in search of food

SAN ANTONIO – More than 30 videos, including cellphone and surveillance footage, were shown in court Monday in the trial of a man accused of starving his 4-year-old son.

In one of the videos, Benjamin Cervera can be heard crying and asking for bread, water or milk, pleading: “Dad, daddy, I want some bread.”

The harrowing footage was played for jurors as part of the state's trial of Brandon Cervera, who faces life in prison if convicted in the starvation death of his son.

The videos presented by the prosecutor showed Benjamin in his bedroom and in his kitchen in early June 2021. In several clips, he can be seen foraging for food, at times eating fruit, cookies, Jell-O and milk late at night.

However, as time went on, the boy's access to food became increasingly difficult as locks were placed on kitchen cabinets and the refrigerator, the footage shows.

Detective Lawrence Saiz of the San Antonio Police Department testified that the cell phone videos came from the boy's stepmother's phone, along with surveillance footage from cameras in the apartment kept by Brandon Cervera.

In addition to the video evidence, the jury was presented with text messages exchanged between Brandon Cervera and his ex-wife in which the defendant explained that Benjamin was given bread and said, “He doesn't need to eat dinner.”

During the presentation of the videos, some judges were observed to look away or shake their heads in response to the graphic content. However, Brandon Cervera remained expressionless throughout the viewing.

Earlier in court, Bexar County Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Kimberley Molina, brought back to pick up where she left off with her testimony last week.

Photos were shown of bruises all over Benjamin's body, and Molina said they were not the result of cardiopulmonary resuscitation, as the defense tried to conclude.

The defense tried to discredit the autopsy report, saying Molina's findings were misleading.

The state rested its case late Monday afternoon.

The trial is expected to continue Tuesday morning.

If convicted, Cervera faces life in prison.

KSAT 12 will broadcast Cevera's gavel-to-gavel trial live on all digital platforms. We want to warn you that details in this case will be difficult to see and hear during the trial.

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