ROGERS, Arkansas — A Rogers man has been sentenced in the death of a 2-year-old child, according to court documents.
Gustavo Peraza was arrested on Sept. 14, 2021, and originally faced charges of capital murder and first-degree battery in connection with the death of his girlfriend's 2-year-old child.
Peraza pleaded not guilty in November 2021. Since then, Peraza has changed lawyers who filed multiple motions, extending the process.
Peraza's trial was supposed to begin on Feb. 3, 2025, but on Dec. 17, court documents show Peraza negotiated and pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison, with 10 years suspended.
Backstory
On Aug. 20, 2021, Breyana Sawyer's 2-year-old son was admitted to a clinic in Rogers for vomiting. After being evaluated by doctors, they referred him to Arkansas Children's Hospital, citing concerns of "blunt force trauma to his stomach or some type of cancer," according to the affidavit of probable cause.
The boy was treated and released on the same day and returned for a follow-up three days later, court documents show. During the follow-up, the affidavit says, "his bloodwork indicated his condition improved." That same day, Sawyer left her son with Peraza, who would watch him while she went to work.
According to text messages obtained in a search warrant, Peraza texted Sawyer that the boy was vomiting more than usual. Eventually, Peraza returned the boy to Sawyer, who rushed him to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. In one of her text messages to Peraza that day, Breyana said, "He literally was good, and he just fell down, and I don't think that was enough to hurt him."
Investigation
After investigating, officials concluded that text messages between him and Sawyer showed a pattern of the boy getting hurt while Peraza watched him.
The autopsy revealed that the boy died from a severe infection caused by "non-accidental blunt-force trauma" to his stomach.
Sawyer was also arrested for permitting child abuse nine days after Peraza's arrest in 2021. She pleaded not guilty.
