MADISON HEIGHTS, Mich. – A 6-year-old boy from Oakland County was barricaded in the corner of a bedroom, stapled to the wall, and shot with a BB gun before he died at the hands of his mother and her boyfriend, officials said.
Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald announced new charges Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, against Elaina Rose Jennings, 25, and Daniel John Giacchina, 32, both of Madison Heights.
Jennings was the mother of 6-year-old Giovanny “Chulo” Jennings, and Giacchina is her boyfriend.
6-year-old’s death
Madison Heights police and firefighters were called at 2:34 p.m. July 30, 2024, to a mobile home community in the 25000 block of Dequindre Road.
Jennings had called 911 to report that Giovanny was not breathing. When officials arrived, they said they found the child unconscious and suffering from injuries all over his body.
Giovanny was rushed via ambulance to Ascension Macomb-Oakland Hospital and then transferred to Children’s Hospital, where he died from his injuries around midnight on July 31.
Jennings and Giacchina were both taken into custody.
Giacchina was charged with:
- Possession of firearms by a prohibited person -- a five-year felony.
- A felony firearm violation -- a two-year felony.
- Possession of ammunition by a felon -- a five-year felony.
- Lying to a peace officer -- a two-year misdemeanor.
Jennings was charged with lying to a peace officer.
Madison Heights officials deemed the child’s death suspicious and launched an investigation.
Autopsy results
WARNING: The details of abuse shared by the prosecutor are graphic and disturbing.
An autopsy by the Wayne County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed that Giovanny was murdered.
“He died from blunt force trauma to his abdomen and a perforated bowel after a lengthy period of confinement and abuse,” McDonald said.
Photos taken during the autopsy showed that Giovanny had bruising and lacerations on his entire body, including to his scalp, temples, lips, inner mouth, cheeks, forehead, chin, shoulder, forearms, fingers, thumbs, back, buttocks, inner thighs, knees, and shins, McDonald said.
“Chulo had pervasive bruising to his abdomen, which was also bloated and distended,” McDonald said. “He had an apparent BB wound to his shin. First responders and emergency room personnel noted extensive external injuries, as well.”
Additional charges
Friday’s briefing was held to announce additional charges against Jennings and Giacchina.
Both are now facing charges of murder and first-degree child abuse in connection with Giovanny’s death. Those charges are punishable by life in prison.
“It was clear from the evidence that we saw that there was a pattern of abuse that led to Chulo’s death,” McDonald said.
These charges were authorized after an intensive review of the evidence, which included cellphones, pictures, and items collected during search warrants.
“We have spent over 100 hours reviewing extremely disturbing videos and photos, as well as text messages and Facebook chats describing the horrific things that happened to this 6-year-old boy,” McDonald said.
Giacchina also had a pre-existing warrant for weapons-related offenses out of Madison Heights.
Jennings and Giacchina are still facing the charge for lying to police, and Giacchina is still facing the above weapons charges.
Graphic details of abuse
Prosecutors said Giovanny, who McDonald referred to using his nickname, “Chulo,” was confined to a pen in the bedroom that belonged to Giacchina and Jennings.
He was beaten in the presence of his two younger siblings, McDonald said.
“As we carefully sifted through the evidence, what we found can only be described as horrific,” McDonald said.
Giovanny was living at the home with his two younger siblings, Jennings, Giacchina, and Giacchina‘s grandmother, prosecutors said.
When Jennings went to work, Giovanny was often left with Giacchina, who also watched the two younger siblings and an unrelated 5-year-old, according to authorities.
“Chulo was beaten by Giacchina on multiple occasions,” McDonald said. “While that abuse sometimes happened while Jennings was at work, Jennings was aware of it and approved of the physical assaults, and, at times, even encouraged Giacchina to abuse Chulo.”
The abuse included physical violence and assault, including shooting Giovanny with a BB gun, McDonald said.
“For punishment, Chulo was confined to a pen in a corner of Giacchina’s and Jennings’ bedroom, where he was left to try and sleep on a wooden slat, measuring 11 inches by 36 inches,” McDonald said. “A black curtain was put in place so Chulo couldn’t see out, and barricades were used to keep him in place.”
Giacchina bought a home security system and mounted a camera to monitor what the pair referred to as “the corner,” which was the pen where they kept the boy, according to prosecutors.
“Both Giacchina and Jennings would watch video clips of Chulo ‘misbehaving,’ which would include Chulo trying to urinate, drink, or leave the corner,” McDonald said.
She said that on July 26, Giacchina stapled Giovanny to the wall by his clothing to keep him confined in a corner and to position his head to face the wall.
“He texted Jennings that he had solved the problem of keeping Chulo’s face toward the wall, sending her a photo of Chulo stapled into the corner of the pen,” McDonald said. “That photo shows the shoulders of Chulo’s shirt stapled to the edges of the corner in such a manner that Chulo’s body, along with his head and face, were wedged into the corner of the wall.
“Both Jennings and Giacchina laughed about the photo and Giacchina’s use of the staple gun to solve ‘the problem.’ According to the text, Chulo was being punished in this manner for looking out the window in the pen area.”
When officers searched the home, they said they found marks in the wall that match a staple gun.
They said they also found holes in the ball that contained BBs.
A staple gun, a BB gun, and CO2 cartridges were among the items seized from the home.
Gun found in home
Police said they also found a 9 mm semiautomatic ghost gun and over 100 rounds of 9 mm ammunition inside the home.
A photo on a phone showed Giacchina with two young children who were handling the ghost gun and the BB gun, McDonald said.
A photo on Jennings’ cellphone from July 26, 2024, showed two children who were both pointing a gun at a third child, prosecutors said. The third child had his hand up, and the laser from the ghost gun was illuminating his hand.
4-year-old brother
Giovanny’s 4-year-old brother was interviewed at Care House, a child advocacy center in Oakland County.
He told interviewers that “Danny” had shot him in the leg with a BB gun and showed them his injury.
He also said “Danny” shot Giovanny in the buttocks with a BB gun.
“The 4-year-old explained that on the day of Chulo’s death, ‘Chulo died all day, and Danny was there,’” McDonald said.
Abdomen injuries
Jennings said during her interview with authorities that about three days before the Giovanny’s death, Giacchina had punched the boy in the abdomen several times.
She told police that the punches caused Giovanny to vomit.
Giovanny’s condition worsened up until July 30, when Jennings said she found him unconscious in the presence of Giacchina, according to authorities.
“Jennings admitted that she knew Chulo desperately needed medical attention, but she did not take him to a hospital because she knew that a medical examination would reveal the abuse he was suffering,” McDonald said.
Giacchina and Jennings were both present and living in the home throughout the period of abuse, McDonald said.
Giovanni’s stepfather Esteban Cabrera recalls seeing his stepson’s badly beaten body at the hospital.
“He was so unrecognizable,” said Cabrera. “His head was almost double the size. His eyes were so swollen.”
The last time he saw Giovanni was in March when Jennings moved his two stepchildren and their daughter out of their southwest Detroit home.
“He was such an amazing child,” Cabrera said. “He just wanted to run and play.”
Cabrera’s daughter, whom he shares with Jennings, is back in his care now.
Attempt to blame father
The original charges for lying to police stem from a plot to blame Giovanny’s condition on the child’s biological father.
“The allegations are that Jennings falsely told police that she left Chulo with his biological father when she went to work that morning, and that Chulo was uninjured prior to being with his father,” McDonald said.
Investigators arrested Chulo’s father based on that information, but McDonald said they quickly learned that he hadn’t been anywhere near Giovanny that day.
Officials said they realized that Jennings had provided false information. There is no evidence that Giovanny’s father took part in the crimes, McDonald said.
“Further investigation revealed that Giacchina and Jennings conspired to falsely tell police that it was Chulo’s biological father who was last with Chulo,” McDonald said.
Madison Heights police Chief Brent LeMerise confirmed that three people were arrested in this case, but the biological father was released.
Arraignment
Jennings and Giacchina were arraigned Friday morning at 43rd District Court in Ferndale.
They were denied bond and remain in the Oakland County Jail.
A probable cause conference is scheduled for 11 a.m. Aug. 21, 2024, at 43rd District Court.
You can watch Friday’s full briefing below.