The Misery Machine - The Case of Jailyn Candelario

Starting point is 00:00:00 Jalen A. Candelario was born on January 26, 2022 in Cleveland, Ohio to her mother, Crystal Candelario. According to sources, it's alleged that Jalen's father was a violent man that Crystal had met in Ecuador, who was not present in his daughter's life. The Candelario family lived in a home near Lorraine Avenue in West 97th Street in the West Boulevard neighborhood on the city's west side. At the time of our story, Jalen was an adorable 16-month-old. toddler with the biggest brown eyes you'd ever see, and tufts of dark browned hair. She had an older sister who was seven years old at the time of our story. Now, like many children that we cover on our channel, we can only guess what Jalen

Starting point is 00:00:44 might have enjoyed in life, and pictures of the little girl give us the slightest glimpse of how things might have been in happier times. In one picture, Jalen happily snacks on a basket of French fries and chicken fingers in a cute dinosaur shirt. In another, she smiles happy, in the company of a blue and white stuffed teddy bear. Yet in another, she enjoys a shopping trip to Walmart, grinning ear to ear from inside the shopping cart. One could easily describe Jalen as a happy baby who was, at least at one time, very loved.

Starting point is 00:01:17 So how could things go so horribly wrong? But Crystal wasn't exactly mom of the year. According to a neighbor, Crystal had a bad habit of abandoning her kids. That neighbor had agreed to watch little Jalen for her. a weekend, but then Crystal never came back to pick her up. Days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into a month and a half of Crystal dodging the neighbor's phone calls. Some time in late 2022 or 2023, Crystal checked into a local hospital for mental health concerns. It is unclear whether or not her hospitalization and her abandonment of her baby were connected. According to her social

Starting point is 00:01:53 media profiles, Crystal's from Guaya Kill, Ecuador, and work for the Citizens Glenview campus of breakthrough schools, a network of public charter schools in the Cleveland area. That campus served children from kindergarten to fourth grade, but it's unclear in what capacity Crystal worked for them, because as you'll see as her story progresses, she probably wasn't the best person to be working with kids. Scrolling through Crystal social media painted another picture as well, that of a free-spirited woman who love to travel, but to travel without her children. In one picture, Crystal poses for the camera in front of a sign in Cartagena. Another, she smiles in front of bronze statues of BB8 and R2D2, but it is her profile picture taken on June 9th, 2023, that made

Starting point is 00:02:40 headlines. In that picture, Crystal peeks over her shoulder donning a white and purple swimsuit on a sandy beach. You can see a series of what appear to be white condos off in the distance. In Spanish, she wrote the caption, The Time That is Enjoyed is the True Time Lived. However, Where is she? And who is watching her children? On June 6, 2023, Crystal departed on a 10-day trip that she'd been planning as far back as January of the same year. Her travels first took her to Detroit, Michigan, where it's alleged that she spent a few days with one unnamed man, and that's Puerto Rico where she enjoyed a beach getaway with yet another.

Starting point is 00:03:20 This is where her profile picture was taken three days later. However, back in Cleveland, something chilling was being captured on her name, neighbors ring doorbell cam at 104 a.m. In between the roar of passing vehicles, one can hear the sound of a small child crying out for help. Cries that would never be answered. Rather than ask a friend or a family member to care for Jalen, Crystal thought the best course of action was to abandon her 16-month-old daughter for 10 whole days while she was off gallivancing with random men. She placed the little girl in a pack and play with a few bottles of milk. Now, it should go, without saying what Crystal did was insane. We don't even leave our cats home alone for more than 24

Starting point is 00:04:41 hours without someone coming to check on them. But let's discuss all of the ways that only a complete selfish moron would leave their small child home alone for 10 days, shall we? To begin with, the baby bottle situation alone was extremely unsafe. We researched a few different sources for how long is too long for a baby bottle to be left unrefrigerated. Now, times differ slightly for breast milk, cows milk, and formula, but it's not by much. Most listed timeframes around two to four hours, and even if that's slightly off, the milk would have definitely spoiled within 10 days. Next, Jalen was 16 months old and had no access to a proper caretaker to address her bathroom needs. So over that 10-day period, she'd been suffering in her own waste, which could have led to rashes, sores, infection, and other ailments.

Starting point is 00:05:31 The wildest part about this whole situation was the fact that Crystal's seven-year-old daughter was in care of her grandparents during her island getaway. According to one source, Crystal said, and I quote, The only thing I told them was go at ease. I'm going to stay here with Jalen. That was all I told them. In fact, rather than just asked the grandparents to watch Jalen, she told them she had no plans during her vacation

Starting point is 00:05:55 and that she was going to simply stay home in Cleveland with her baby. In fact, she hadn't told anyone, that she was going to Puerto Rico. So when she updated her profile picture on June 9th, and she was clearly not in Ohio, why did no one question this? Well, someone sort of did. While Crystal was off soaking up the sun with some random dude,

Starting point is 00:06:16 Jalen's father texted her and asked her about his daughter. Rather than confessing that she's left her home alone in a pack-in-play without access to proper food for 10 days, Crystal told him she was fine. In fact, she told her ex that she left Jalen with her grandmother. Crystal recalled, when he mentioned Jalen to me, it was like when someone reminds you of someone who's not with you at that moment. She said that she thought about maybe contacting a friend or family member to check on the toddler,

Starting point is 00:06:43 but she never did, chalking that up to just being a simple mistake, as she put in. However, during the trip, her traveling companions noticed something was off about her. And according to Crystal, the people who accompanied me on the trip could see that I was very distracted. I was very angry. They told me, Crystal, what's happening? You're not yourself. I never mentioned anything about my daughter. At around 8 a.m. on June 16, 2023,

Starting point is 00:07:09 Crystal Candelario returned home to Cleveland to a grim sight. Little Jalen was lying in a pile of heavily soil blankets atop a playpen liner that was soaked in human waste. The little girl wasn't breathing, and Crystal eventually called 911. But first, she made sure to put Jalen in a clean outfit. Then she called emergency services. We'll play a clip of that call now, which is extremely hard to listen to.

Starting point is 00:08:12 First responders and officers with the Cleveland Division of Police responded to Crystal's West Boulevard home to find little Jalen unresponsive. She's pronounced dead on the scene by medics shortly thereafter. First responders noted that the toddler was emaciated and her eyes appeared sunken in. Dried fecal matter on Jalen's lips under her fingernails and in her mouth suggested that she had tempted to consume her own waste out of a desperate attempt to feed herself. At autopsy, the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner Dr. Elizabeth Mooney, that Jalen weighed only 13 pounds. She had lost seven pounds during those 10 days that she'd been

Starting point is 00:08:50 abandoned in that filthy playpen. Her cause of death was starvation and severe dehydration due to pediatric neglect. Her manner of death was ruled a homicide. According to Crystal's neighbor, I quote, we keep telling her not to leave her by herself, not just me, my friend across the street, too. She always leaves her by herself. This further suggested that this vacation wasn't the first time that Crystal left baby Jalen alone, which is why we always tell you, see something, say something. An Ohio woman appeared in court on Thursday after being charged with killing her 16-month-old daughter in June. Jalen Candelario was found unresponsive in a place.

Starting point is 00:09:32 pen inside her Cleveland home. According to police, the child appeared to be extremely dehydrated, and the playpen was soiled with urine and feces. The girl's mother, 31-year-old Krista Condolario, admitted to authorities that she left Jalen under tenant for 10 days while she vacationed in Puerto Rico and Detroit. Neighbors told reporters that the mother had asked them to watch her child in the past, but hadn't asked this time around. Crystal was arrested in charge with murder, felonious assault and child endangerment. Prosecutors have also reserved the right to seek the death penalty. Crystal is jailed on $1 million bond. In Thursday's hearing, the defendant's psychiatric evaluation was addressed by the judge. The forensic psychologist assigned to the case let the court

Starting point is 00:10:20 know that she will complete it by Labor Day. The report will be revisited after another hearing scheduled for September 12th. Soon after Jalen's autopsy results were finalized, Crystal was arrested and charged with a laundry list of charges connected to her murder. Prosecutors made it clear that the death penalty would be on the table, despite that Governor Mike DeWine suspended all executions until the Ohio General Assembly finds a suitable replacement for lethal injection. In July of 2018, murderer Robert J. Van Hook was the last person executed in the state of Ohio. In February of 2024, Crystal Candelario accepted a plea deal.

Starting point is 00:10:57 Now, as part of that deal, she pled guilty to aggravated murder in child endangerment. All other charges, including felonious assault and two murder counts, were dismissed. At her sentencing hearing on March 18, 2024, Dr. Elizabeth Mooney took the stand. She shared with the courtroom her expert opinion regarding what Jalen might have experienced, and I quote, the pain and suffering she endured lasted not only hours, not days, but possibly even a week. This feeling of abandonment for days on end, coupled with the pain of starvation and extreme thirst, is a type of suffering I don't think any of us could ever fully fathom. Dr. Mooney testified that children experienced the most extreme separation anxiety between

Starting point is 00:11:41 nine and 18 months. Cleveland Police Sergeant Teresa Gomez shared her sentiment, testifying that this is a case that we'll have branded in our minds and in our hearts forever. Assistant Chiajoga County prosecutor Anna Faraglia agreed, telling the courtroom that animals take care of their infants better and noted, the thought of this child dying every day while she's having fun, humanity can't stomach that.

Starting point is 00:12:09 And those are the actions that need to be punished. She abandoned her daughter and left her for dead. Crystal's mother, Ketti Torres, came to her daughter's defense. She shared with the courtroom her daughter's alleged struggle with anxiety and depression, which would only worsen when she wasn't taking her medication. This would lead to fainting spells and a loss of sound judgment with regard to decision-making. When it was Crystal's turn to address the court, she told them,

Starting point is 00:12:34 I am not trying to justify my actions, but nobody knew how much I was suffering and what I was going through. She also noted that she believed that both God and Jalen had already forgiven her. No, Crystal, they have not. Before handing down his sentence, Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court Judge Brandon Sheehan had harsh work words for Crystal telling her, the bond between a mother and a child is one of the most purest and most sacred bonds. It's a relationship built on love, trust, and unwavering protection.

Starting point is 00:13:11 You committed the ultimate act of betrayal. That little baby persevered, waiting for someone to save her, and you could have done that with a simple phone call. Instead, I see photos of you on a beach while your child was eating her own feces in an attempt to survive. Just as you didn't let Jalen out of her confinement until she died. So too, you should spend the rest of your life in a cell without freedom. The only difference is that prison will at least feed you. And we begin with really a disturbing story and an emotional sentencing in Cuyahoga County Commonplace Court. The bond between a mother and a child is one of the most purest and most sacred bonds between human beings. A judge has sentenced a mother to life in prison without the possibility of parole

Starting point is 00:14:04 after she left her baby at home and flew to Puerto Rico. Judge Brendan Sheehan told 32-year-old Crystal Candelario she committed the ultimate act of betrayal. Candelario pleaded guilty to endangering children and aggravated murder in February, eight months after the death of her 16-month-old daughter, Jalene. Prosecutors pointed to doorbell video showing Candelario leaving her home without Jaline on June 4th. She returns two days later and then takes off again that night with a suitcase. Pictures appear to show her enjoying time in Puerto Rico before heading to Detroit. She doesn't reappear outside her house until June 16th. The thought of this child dying every day while she's having fun, humanity can't stomach that.

Starting point is 00:14:56 And those are the actions that need to be punished. She abandoned her daughter and left her for dead. She didn't want this to happen. You could hear that screaming. Help me. My daughter's dying. Candelario's attorney said nothing excuses her actions, but he said his client was dealing with depression and anxiety

Starting point is 00:15:19 and not getting the treatment she needed. It was also revealed in court that after she found her daughter, Candelario put new clothes on her to try to hide the filth. And then she lied to police. The medical examiner and lead a homicide detective on this case described it as the worst case they have investigated. And we'll hear from those who spoke on behalf of Jalene. Coming up in the news at 5,

Starting point is 00:15:43 Candelario also spoke and we'll talk more about what she had to say in court. Then 31-year-old Crystal Candelario was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. She's currently serving her time at the Ohio Reformatory for Women in Marysville. From prison, Crystal participated in an interview with Noticius Telemundo. When asked why she did what she did, the disgrace mother shared the following. The answer is a bit difficult for the rest of the world to understand, and in particular for the people who question and point out that I have committed a diabolical act,

Starting point is 00:16:15 as was mentioned in the court. She then blamed Jalen's father for emotional issues that she was having and shared, I gave my testimony. I took the blame for my actions. I was experiencing emotional stress, she continued. I was in the hospital in January and February, 2023 because I had emotional and mental problems. On one of those two occasions, I wanted to make an attempt on my own life. For that reason, I was in the hospital without being able to walk for exactly almost two weeks.

Starting point is 00:16:43 And in the month of March, I mean, my now ex-boyfriend and I wanted to take a vacation. When asked if she had planned the trip knowing that she was going to leave Jalen home alone, alone, Crystal told reporters, actually I left for the trip as a result of an impulse that I had that I took, grabbed my four things and ran out of the house like when someone is being chased. It's not that at that moment I thought that, ah, I was going to Puerto Rico, I was going to be super comfortable. No, I never thought that. I simply wanted to get away from a life of stress, depression, and anxiety. I didn't want to continue living because I had a lot of problems in my life. Crystal shifted gears and talked about the afternoon of June 16th when she came home to find Jalen dead, sharing.

Starting point is 00:17:23 That's when my world fell apart. Now because maybe I was thinking about going to prison, that's the least important thing because one is an adult and one can accept one's mistakes. I was in despair. I felt she could be saved. Things didn't have to happen that way because my daughter was doing well. I always took care of her. Jalen Candelario was buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in Brook Park, Ohio, in a second. of the cemetery that appears to be dedicated to babies and small children.

Starting point is 00:17:52 She was laid to rest beneath a gray granite headstone with an etching of a kneeling cherub. In close, we'd like to leave you with a poem that lead detective T.J. Powell read at Crystal Sentencing Hearing. It reads, J is for the justice that will be received today. A. is for the angel wings she earned on that dreadful day. I is for the incremental repetition buildup of suspense for a, Death that clearly makes no sense. L is for the lack of love while alone for 11 days. Y is for a young life that was taken away.

Starting point is 00:18:28 N is for new eternal life Jalen gained on that day. No child should ever have to die this way.

The Misery Machine - The Case of Jailyn Candelario

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