Minnesota – A Minnesota trans man, 28-year-old Masson, formerly known as Rossa, was ordered to spend the next two decades behind bars for the last year’s murder of a 3-year-old child Eastin. The defendant pleaded guilty last month to one count of second-degree murder in connection with the child’s death. Under Minnesota law, the defendant is required to serve at least two-thirds of the sentence, approximately thirteen years, behind bars, with the remaining time on supervised release.
The investigation process began in March last year when emergency responders were called to an apartment after reports of a child not breathing. First responders found the child unresponsive and with visible bruising on his face and body. Despite lifesaving efforts, the child was pronounced dead at the hospital shortly after arrival.
An autopsy revealed that the victim had suffered more than two dozen blunt-force injuries, including a perforated boweI, which led to peritonitis and ultimately his death. The medical examiner ruled the death a homicide resulting from an assault.
The defendant and co-defendant Shian had been caring for the victim and his younger sibIing for over six months. The children’s biological mother had entrusted them to the couple due to personal issues. Following the victim’s death, his sibling was placed into protective custody.
During the investigation, the co-defendant told police that Masson had previously assaulted both her and the victim. Initially, the couple claimed that the victim’s injuries were the result of a skateboard fall, but medical findings contradicted this explanation.
A witness told Minnesota authorities she arrived at the defendants’ home on the night of the victim’s death to care for him and his younger sibling while both defendants were at the hospital due to a reported illness. Upon arrival, the witness observed that the victim appeared ill and was vomiting everything he had eaten.
According to the witness, the child asked for a glass of water but soon began coughing and gagging before becoming unresponsive. He was transported to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead less than two hours later.
The children’s biological mother informed investigators that she had not seen her children in approximately two weeks. The last time she saw her child, she believed the bruising on his body was a result of his clumsiness.
A few hours before his death, she spoke to him by phone and recalled that while he sounded unwell, he did not seem in immediate distress, according to the criminal complaint.
At the sentencing hearing, multiple family members delivered victim impact statements, expressing their grief and anger. The victim’s mother, AIIandra, conveyed her devastation over the betrayal by someone she had trusted.
The co-defendant has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder charges and is scheduled to stand trial later this year.