WICHITA, Kan. – A Sedgwick County jury on Wednesday found a man guilty as charged in the 2019 death of a 2-year-old boy who had been left in his care, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.
Bernardo Gonzalez-Mejia, 38, Wichita was convicted of Murder in the First Degree, Abuse of a Child, and Aggravated Endangering of a Child. Jurors returned the verdict after approximately 3 hours of deliberation following a 7-day trial before District Judge Eric Williams.
On Sept. 29, 2019, Wichita police officers and emergency medical crews responded to a report of a child who was not breathing at a home in Wichita. Jacob Aviles, 2, was pronounced dead at the scene. Gonzalez-Mejia, who was then the boyfriend of the child's mother, was caring for Jacob at the time.
The child's mother, Stephanie Aviles, was convicted by a jury in July 2025 of first-degree murder and related charges in Jacob's death. She was sentenced in September 2025 to life in prison without the possibility of parole for 25 years, plus an additional 41 months.
Sentencing for Gonzalez-Mejia is scheduled for December 14 before Judge Williams. The defendant remains in custody pending sentencing.