Mother left toddler to starve to death in outdoor playpen covered with blanket

A mother left her three year-old son to starve to death in an outdoor playpen covered with a blanket.

Roman Barreras died a slow, agonizing death between Spring 2013 and January 2014 after his mother Raquel Barreas, 44, stopped feeding him.

First-degree murder suspect Barreras singled Roman out from her other children, isolated and abused him to the point where he died of malnutrition.

Afterwards, the stuffed Romans corpse in a toy chest and shoved it in the attic of her rental home in Tuscon, Arizona.

Romans remains were discovered after Barreras moved out in March 2014 when her old landlord Marl Weisbord and his family were cleaning the property out.

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On opening the chest, Weisbords uncle initially thought Romans skeleton was a Halloween decoration – until the grim truth dawned on him.

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At Barrerass trial earlier this week, prosecutor Virginia Aspacher told jurors: It took Roman a long time to die.

It took him a long time to starve to death.

Barrerass defense lawyer Cynthia Yializis has conceded the facts of Romans death, according to _