Mother gets 27 years for son’s death

EPHRATA – Maribel Gomez was sentenced Monday to nearly 27 years in prison for the September 2003 abuse death of her son, Raffy.

Grant County Superior Court Judge John Antosz handed down the 320-month sentence. Antosz heard the case from the bench and convicted the 32-year-old Gomez of homicide by abuse and first-degree manslaughter on March 28

Gomez, an illegal immigrant from Mexico, was convicted of the Sept. 10, 2003, death of 25-month-old Rafael “Raffy” Gomez. Raffy had spent 14 months in foster care and suffered what Antosz called “a constellation of injuries” while in his mother’s care, including broken legs, skull fractures, bruises and burns.

Gomez testified during her trial that the boy died after hitting his head while throwing a tantrum over food. Prosecutors called medical experts who concluded the boy died of blunt trauma to the head that could not have been caused in such a manner.

The case led to a review of state child welfare agencies and changes in the way decisions are made to return foster children to their biological parents.

Antosz listened to a presentation by Denise Griffith, Raffy’s foster mother, but Gomez made no remarks on her own behalf, assistant Grant County prosecutor Steve Scott said.

Deputy prosecutor Carolyn Fair called Raffy’s death “one of the worst cases in the history of our office.”

She asked Antosz to impose the maximum sentence because of the child’s vulnerability, his mother’s position of trust, the fact that she exhibited no remorse and the severe neglect shown by Raffy’s injuries.

“I did conclude there was a lack of remorse,” the judge said.

Defense lawyer Robert Moser, of Moses Lake, who has said he would appeal the conviction, denied that Gomez was unfeeling. He said he advised Gomez not to speak before sentencing. “Most of that was due to me, keeping my client where I needed her to be,” Moser told the court.

Scott said Gomez would likely be sent to the Washington Corrections Center for Women in Purdy on Thursday.

By then Gomez will be a new bride, Grant County officials said.

She and Jose Ramon Arechiga, 33, of Ephrata, Raffy’s father, applied for a marriage license last week at the Grant County courthouse, sheriff’s Capt. Pete McMahon said. Arechiga was not charged in Raffy’s death because investigators concluded he was not home when the child died and did not participate in his son’s abuse.

Jail-visitation marriages are rare, but occur during regular jail visitation hours, McMahon said. The bride and groom, separated by a glass partition, exchange their vows via intercom telephones.

Gomez has five other children in foster care. Arechiga is the father of two of the children.

The case caused an outcry over the state’s foster care system.

The state Department of Social and Health Services conducted a fatality review that concluded social workers were biased toward the birth parents, ignored obvious signs that Raffy was in danger and failed to follow the agency’s own rules.