A 29-year-old man has been sentenced to 92 years in an Indiana state correctional facility for the heartless drowning of his three-month-old baby boy, Jacob, in a bucket of laundry detergent. The father, Eliasard Moneus, committed this atrocious act as a means to teach his wife a disturbing lesson. Following the murder of his son, Moneus also attacked his wife with a tire iron, resulting in severe consequences for his actions.
Moneus received a 62-year sentence for the murder of Jacob and an additional 30 years for the attempted murder of his wife, Edlie, with the sentences to be served consecutively. Shockingly, an affidavit uncovered the grim details of the infant’s death, stating that Jacob died of asphyxia from being submerged in the detergent. The Deputy Prosecutor, Elyse Madigan, expressed the horrific nature of the crime, describing it as one of the worst cases she had encountered.
The prosecution revealed that Moneus intended to teach his wife and women in general a lesson about showing respect to men. Despite expressing remorse through an interpreter, Moneus was condemned by Tippecanoe Superior Court Judge Steve Meyer for his heinous actions. The judge emphasized the severity of the crime, stating that the act of drowning a helpless infant in a bucket of laundry detergent was unimaginable and grotesque.
The tragic incident came to light when officers responded to a domestic violence call involving Moneus’ wife, who had been assaulted by him with a tire iron. Despite suffering injuries, the wife informed the authorities that Moneus had taken their infant son. Subsequent investigations led to the discovery of Jacob’s body in an orange bucket at the couple’s residence, and Moneus was apprehended the following day.
During police questioning, Moneus admitted to assaulting his wife but claimed ignorance about his son’s whereabouts. However, a search of the property revealed the infant’s lifeless body in the bucket, leading to Moneus’ arrest and subsequent legal proceedings. The court’s decision to sentence Moneus for his despicable actions serves as a grim reminder of the consequences of such heinous crimes.