A 29-year-old man has been sentenced to 92 years in an Indiana state correctional facility for the cruel act of drowning his three-month-old baby in a bucket of laundry detergent. Eliasard Moneus left his son, Jacob, sealed in the bucket to die as a twisted way to teach his wife a lesson. Following the murder of his son, Moneus also attacked his wife with a tire iron, leading to additional charges.
The sentencing included 62 years for the murder of Jacob and an additional 30 years for the attempted murder of his wife, Edlie, to be served consecutively. The tragic incident was discovered when authorities found the infant submerged in detergent, leading to his death by asphyxia. Deputy Prosecutor Elyse Madigan expressed the severity of the crime, stating that it was a horrifying act.
Moneus, who confessed to the crimes and pleaded guilty to murder, communicated through a French Creole interpreter during court proceedings. Despite expressing remorse, the judge condemned Moneus for his heinous actions, emphasizing the severity of killing his own child in such a grotesque manner.
The incident came to light when police responded to a domestic violence call involving Moneus’ wife, who had been assaulted with a tire iron. Although blood evidence indicated an attack at their home, Jacob was initially missing. Moneus was apprehended the next day, and during questioning, he admitted to assaulting his wife but claimed ignorance about his son’s whereabouts. Subsequent searches of the property led to the tragic discovery of Jacob in a sealed orange bucket in the kitchen.