(Hampton, IA) — A north central Iowa man is pleading not guilty to the death of a toddler in Franklin County.
Twenty-four-year-old Jhonny Junior Salvatore Suarez Rivera of Humboldt will stand trial in February for first-degree murder and child endangerment resulting in death. Prosecutors say Rivera was caring for his girlfriend’s 23-month-old child in August of 2020 when the boy was taken to the hospital and later died. An autopsy determined the child was beaten to death.
Rivera remains jailed in Hardin County on a one-million-dollar bond.
