Trial postponed for Iowa City teen accused in son's death

The trial for an Iowa City teenage mother accused along with her boyfriend in the 2012 death of her 20-month-old son has been pushed back three weeks.

Mireya Balderas, 19, was supposed to be tried on a charge of child endangerment resulting in death next week, but a judge on Monday agreed to move the trial to July 30.

Balderas and her then-boyfriend Jorge Perez, 21, were arrested in June 2012 after Marcus Balderas died of blunt force injuries to the head on April 30. Perez faces two counts of child endangerment resulting in death in connection with what investigators describe as a series of assaults that they believe led to the toddler's death and to the injuries that took his life.

Balderas' charge stems from allegations that she participated in the abuse and failed to protect her child from Perez.

Child endangerment is a class B felony punishable by up to 50 years in prison.

Perez remains in custody in lieu of a $2 million bond. Balderas was being held on a $1 million bond until a judge ruled in February to modify the conditions of her bond, allowing her to leave jail and live with her father until trial.

Perez's trial is scheduled for Sept. 17, and his requests for bond modifications have been denied.

Authorities first began looking into Balderas and Perez after the Iowa Department of Human Services was called to the home they shared at 2018 Waterfront Drive on April 25 on a report that Perez had left Marcus home alone. A DHS worker at that time noticed bruising on the toddler's face but didn't find it unusual for a toddler, authorities said.

Five days later, Iowa City police were called to the mobile home on a report of the child struggling to breathe. When they arrived, they found Marcus in distress and vomiting, and paramedics noticed bruises on his face, according to court documents.

The child was rushed to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, where he was pronounced dead. Perez, according to police, admitted to hitting Marcus in the face with his knuckles, holding a pillow over his head, stepping on his stomach and throwing him up without catching him.

Balderas, according to police, admitted to hitting her son in the face, holding a pillow over his head and watching as her boyfriend abused the boy.