Idaho woman pleads guilty in death of young stepson

BOISE (AP) — An Idaho woman has pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in connection with the beating death of her 9-year-old stepson.

Monique Osuna made the plea on Wednesday in exchange for prosecutors agreeing not to pursue the death penalty, the Idaho Statesman reported. She is scheduled to be sentenced June 9.

Emrik Osuna died in September 2020, a day after someone called police to report a medical emergency at his home. When Meridian Police officers arrived at the house, they could not detect Emrik's heartbeat, and they said they saw signs of abuse. He was taken to a nearby hospital and pronounced dead the next day.

Nanny cameras from inside the home showed that the child was forced to do strenuous physical exercises for hours at a time, and in a written statement Monique Osuna said she beat the child with objects including a frying pan to make him continue exercising. The child appeared severely malnourished in the video clips played during a court hearing last year.

Three other children lived in the home, including an infant, but police previously said the others did not appear to be abused.

The boy's father, Erik Osuna, is also charged with first-degree murder and destroying, altering or concealing evidence. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges, and prosecutors have until June 8 to decide if they will pursue the death penalty. Erik Osuna's attorney, Randall Barnum, declined to comment on the case.

Monique Osuna's attorney, Anthony Geddes, could not be reached for comment early Friday evening.