Man accused of killing 4-year-old boy faces additional abuse charges
A man arrested in connection with the death of a 4-year-old boy whose body was found in a freezer in February is now accused of choking the boy’s sister with a vacuum cord, according to grand jury transcripts released this week.
Brandon Toseland, 36, is facing the death penalty in the death of his girlfriend’s son, Mason Dominguez, whose body was found at Toseland’s northeast Las Vegas home on Feb. 22.
Toseland was indicted in April on charges of murder; child abuse, neglect or endangerment; kidnapping a minor resulting in substantial bodily harm; three counts of child abuse, neglect or endangerment resulting in substantial bodily harm; two counts of kidnapping and two counts of battery constituting domestic violence by strangulation.
All of the initial charges were related to abuse authorities say was suffered by Mason and his mother, Dahsia Maldonado, who told police Toseland physically abused her and held her captive for months.
On Sept. 30, a grand jury issued a superseding indictment for Toseland, charging him with two additional counts of child abuse, neglect or endangerment, after Mason’s sister testified to a grand jury.
Toseland’s attorney, Craig Mueller, did not reply to request for comment.
Mason’s sister, who was 6 years old when she started living with Toseland, testified that Toseland would “use his arm and a vacuum cord” to choke her until she felt like she was “about to pass out.”
“I was crying and then he was mad, and then one time he said that if you don’t stop, if you don’t stop crying, then I’ll do it longer and harder,” the girl testified, according to grand jury transcripts released Wednesday.
In December, Toseland took Mason into a locked room after the boy said he wasn’t feeling well, then confined Maldonado to a bedroom, Maldonado previously testified to a grand jury.
Maldonado testified that she was often handcuffed when she left the house with Toseland, who held her captive until she was able to sneak a note to school officials with her daughter.
After Toseland’s arrest, investigators found a hole in the backyard that police suspect was intended as a grave.
Prosecutors have said Mason suffered a “constellation of internal injuries,” including blunt force trauma to his abdomen, bruising to his torso and extremities, and a bite mark to his left arm.
Maldonado has filed a wrongful death and negligence lawsuit against Toseland, who said in a counterclaim that Maldonado was aware Mason had died and had decided to help Toseland “preserve” the body.
The mother is not facing any charges in Mason’s death.
Lisa Rasmussen, an attorney representing Maldonado and her family, has said she denies the “fantastical claims made by Toseland.”
Toseland remains in the Clark County Detention Center without bail. He is scheduled to appear in court Nov. 29.
Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240. Follow @k_newberg on Twitter.