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Pennsylvania Father Convicted of Killing Malnourished 3-Year-Old Daughter He Called ‘Ugly’ and an ‘Animal’

Father Convicted of Killing 3-Year-Old Daughter He Called 'Ugly'
Source: Allegheny County Police Department; Unsplash

May 12 2023, Published 6:15 p.m. ET

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A Pennsylvania man has been convicted of killing his 3-year-old daughter, who he called “ugly” and an “animal,” RadarOnline.com has learned.

Bella Seachrist was found dead in 2020. On the last day of Jose Eduardo Salazar-Ortiz’s trial, a pediatrician said Bella was “tortured” and that she “looked like a child out of a concentration camp” before she died, as Front Page Detectives reported.

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Father Convicted of Killing 3-Year-Old Daughter He Called 'Ugly'
Source: Echovita Obituary

On May 11, Judge Bruce Beemer found Salazar-Ortiz guilty of third-degree murder in the non-jury trial.

Salazar-Ortiz’s defense attorney, Blaine Jones, told WPXI, “I think legally speaking, we saved him. He could have been sentenced to life without the possibility of parole today.”

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Father Convicted of Killing 3-Year-Old Daughter He Called 'Ugly'
Source: Unsplash

“This case was tremendously difficult both legally and as a human being. At the end of the day, you have a 3-year-old who died,” Jones added.

During the trial, prosecutors showed text messages where Bella’s father and stepmother called the little girl “ugly” and an “animal.”

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Father Convicted of Killing 3-Year-Old Daughter He Called 'Ugly'
Source: Mega
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Investigators said Bella slept on a cot in the hallway of the family’s home in Oakmont and would be punished for having bed-wetting accidents.

Bella was born as a result of an affair that Salazar-Ortiz had with another woman, who lost custody of her, officials said.

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Father Convicted of Killing 3-Year-Old Daughter He Called 'Ugly'
Source: Unsplash

Bella was found dead, bruised, and severely malnourished in a bathtub inside the family’s home, medics said.

There were no family members in court on behalf of Bella and it’s unclear where her biological mother is, WPXI reported.

Salazar-Ortiz is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 8, authorities said.

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