CORPUS CHRISTI, Tx — A mother whose 1-year-old child was found unresponsive in a southside apartment was sentenced Thursday afternoon.
The hearing, held in the 148th District Court, comes more than four years after 1-year-old Jessell Lopez was found unresponsive and died two days later.
Briana Garcia was sentenced to 5 years of deferred probation, a $1,000 fine, and 150 hours of community service. She cannot have contact with the family or the co-defendant in this case, Mark Hernandez.
"You are to complete an anger management class. You are to complete a parenting class," said Judge David Klein.
The judge also said that, for the next five years, Garcia must report to the Nueces County jail and serve 7 days in jail the week of May 7th each year, through the end of her probation.
The child's mother, 27-year-old Briana Garcia, was also arrested in June 2021 on charges of injury to a child by omission. She was held on a $500,000 bond.
The case dates back to May 10, 2021, when emergency responders were called to the Latitude Apartments on Weber and Saratoga in Corpus Christi. One-year-old Jessell Lopez was found unconscious and not breathing in the apartment unit.
Paramedics performed CPR and rushed the child to a local hospital, but Jessell died two days later from her injuries. Mark Hernandez, who was identified as the boyfriend of the child's mother, initially told police that Jessell had been injured when she fell off a bed, described by officers as a mattress on the floor without box springs.
Police investigation revealed that Jessell's death was not accidental, leading to Hernandez's arrest on the day of the incident. His charges were later upgraded to capital murder with a $1 million bond. A plea deal was reached in August 2025 as Hernandez pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of injury to a child by omission, a third-degree felony. Hernandez received deferred adjudication for 10 years and 300 hours of community service. He is also prohibited from having any contact with the victim's family and has waived his right to seek a new trial.
Jesse Lopez, who was working in Michigan at the time of his daughter's death, has channeled his grief into advocacy work. He created DreamChaserz CCTx, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping children and raising awareness about domestic violence. The organization hosts annual memorial events, including a Memorial Cruise that honors Jessell and other child victims of domestic violence.
The case drew significant community attention, with hundreds attending vigils for Jessell in the wake of her death. An estimated 250 people gathered at Cole Park Amphitheater in May 2021 to remember Jessell Lopez, the victim.
