Breaking update: The news has not covered this, but a plea and sentencing agreement has been reached between the prosecution for the state of Indiana and the defense for Dayana Sarahid Medina-Flores, the stepmother of 12-year-old Eduardo Posso.

Dayana and Eduardo’s father, Luis Posso, were charged in Eduardo’s murder. The pair, who shared three younger children who were found to be unharmed, were accused of confining and restraining Eduardo, abusing him, torturing him, and starving him for months. Eduardo allegedly spent his final days chained in the bathtub of the family’s motel room in Bloomington, Indiana before Eduardo was rushed to the emergency room, where he was pronounced dead on May 24, 2019. At the time of his death, Eduardo weighed between 50 and 55 pounds, putting him in the 0.1% percentile for his age. Police found cords, chains, cuffs, padlocks, and a dog shock collar in the motel room, where it appeared Eduardo had been confined in the bathtub and watched by a surveillance camera mounted to a towel bar.

Dayana’s trial was scheduled to begin on Thursday, June 3, but according to Indiana’s MyCase portal, a change of plea hearing was held on May 27, 2021, at which Dayana, now age 27, pleaded guilty to a single count of felony murder. The nature of the sentence agreed upon by the parties is unclear. Judge Christine Talley Haseman took the plea agreement and Dayana’s guilty plea under advisement and set a sentencing hearing to take place at 9:00 AM on Thursday, June 24, 2021. If the court accepts the plea agreement and the defendant’s guilty plea, the State of Indiana will dismiss Dayana’s remaining charges.

A date for Luis’s trial has not yet been set. In April, his attorney filed an interlocutory appeal (an appeal on a trial court’s ruling while the case is ongoing), so the trial that had been scheduled to take place in September was canceled. The appeal centers around the court’s denial of Luis Posso’s earlier motion to suppress evidence, including his statements to police, which he claims violated his Miranda rights, and his agreement to allow police to search the hotel room.

Eduardo’s was one of the first stories I covered on the blog back in early June of 2019, and I hold him especially close to my heart; I’ve had goosebumps the entire time I’ve been writing this update. I’m crossing all of my fingers (and toes) that this agreement means true justice for the sweet boy with the beautiful smile who only wanted “to juggle and be free.”

As soon as I learn more, including the nature of the sentence laid out in the agreement, I will provide another update.

Click here for my ongoing coverage of Eduardo’s story; click here to listen to my podcast episode about Eduardo; and click here for my Facebook photo album for the episode, where I posted several photos I’ve never published on the blog.

Sources: Indiana’s MyCase Portal