A little over a month after a Lee County grand jury returned indictments against Cape Coral parents accused in the torturous death of their 12-year-old, state prosecutors have announced their plans to seek the death penalty against them.
State Attorney Amira Fox on Oct. 31 announced that the same day Assistant State Attorneys Francine Donnorummo and Andreas Gardiner filed their intent to seek death against Qwentosha Massaquoi, 46, and Louis Massaquoi, 47.
The Massaquois’ sheltered, homeschooled and possibly autistic 12-year-old son, of Cape Coral, had signs of extreme malnutrition and severe intestinal issues for days leading to his January death.
Lee County sheriff’s deputies on June 18Â arrested Qwentosha Massaquoi and Louis Massaquoi, each on one count of aggravated manslaughter of a child and one count of aggravated child abuse.
In September, Fox announced Qwentosha Massaquoi and Louis Massaquoi faced charges of first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse (torture) and failure to report suspected child abuse after she convened a Lee County grand jury. The first-degree murder and aggravated child abuse charges are capital offenses.
The Massaquois told police their religious beliefs do not allow medical interventions, and they largely kept their children at home, citing fears of outside dangers.
Their arrest affidavits detail they prayed over their son, attempted to feed him and did computer searches on his symptoms as his health declined.
According to court documents, Louis Massaquoi told authorities that the child — one of four siblings — had been constipated for several days and had stomach issues from Jan. 23 until he died the morning of Jan. 27.
Before he called 911 the day of the child’s death, Louis Massaquoi said that he and his wife attempted to feed and give him water. They said they did not take their son to the doctor “due to their beliefs,” their arrest report states. It did not reference a particular religion.
Qwentosha Massaquoi told authorities the child had not felt well since Jan. 23 when he ate spaghetti for dinner and woke up the following morning with a stomachache. He did not eat breakfast that morning.
According to the mother, the child complained that his stomach hurt, and when she felt his stomach, “it was hard.”
Qwentosha Massaquoi told authorities she thought the child was constipated and thought he would recover if she could get him to drink fluids and eat soft food.
Authorities said Qwentosha Massaquoi could not get their 12-year-old to eat anything on Jan. 24. When she made him pureed strawberries the following day, he threw them up.
According to Qwentosha Massaquoi, she then attempted to get the child to drink different types of liquids, but he would only drink small amounts.
The child again did not eat anything on Jan. 26.
The report says the 12-year-old wore diapers because Qwentosha Massaquoi thought the 12-year-old had signs of autism. However, they had never taken the child to a doctor to get a diagnosis.
Lethargic and unresponsive
The morning of Jan. 27, Qwentosha Massaquoi said, the boy was lethargic and unresponsive.
Qwentosha Massaquoi told authorities she and her husband attempted to give the 12-year-old water, but “it would pour back out of his mouth” on his clothes and the mattress.
The child’s mother, according to the report, said the child began to vomit.
Parents say they don’t ‘believe’ in medicine
Qwentosha Massaquoi said she and her husband believe “if they give everything to God, he will fix it.”
The mother also said they do not take their other children to the doctor.
Authorities found, however, Qwentosha Massaquoi sought medical treatment at one point and was admitted into the hospital for oral surgery.
Detectives asked Qwentosha Massaquoi why she thought her 12-year-old was so skinny, and she said she thought he was going through puberty.
“She thought he was just going through a growth spurt and would eventually fill back out weight-wise,” the report reads.
When detectives asked the mother when she first noticed the 12-year-old was losing weight, she said in October — about three months before he died.
She also said her son started to sleep a lot more.
Detectives asked if the Massaquois’ other children looked like the victim during puberty, which the mother declined to answer.
Authorities contacted a medical examiner, who found “obvious signs of malnourishment.” The medical examiner said the boy was abnormally thin “with all bones visible,” wearing only a diaper.
The medical examiner’s office found the child was severely dehydrated, malnourished and extremely thin. The report did not state the child’s weight or height.
Dad taunted child before death, on video
During the review of the parents’ cellphones, authorities said they found multiple videos of Louis Massaquoi “taunting and making fun” of the 12-year-old.
In one he said, “Oh, you’re thirsty, oh, you want water, you always want water.” The report did not specify the dates the videos were taken.
In another video, authorities said, Louis Massaquoi made fun of the 12-year-old for wearing a diaper, and in a third video the father took a bottle of water from the 12-year-old and said he could not have it even as the child begged.
According to authorities, they found videos showing the 12-year-old dancing and speaking, and added that he “appeared to be in good health” until approximately October 2024.
Between mid-November and the eve of the child’s death, authorities documented at least 14 Google searches, which included research about urinary incontinence, excessive thirst, diabetes, dry mouth, puberty and a life insurance calculator.
“All of these conditions would be treatable if medical attention were sought,” authorities noted in the report.
Tomas Rodriguez is a Breaking/Live News Reporter for the Naples Daily News and The News-Press. You can reach Tomas at TRodriguez@gannett.com or 772-333-5501. Connect with him on Threads @tomasfrobeltran, Instagram @tomasfrobeltran, Facebook @tomasrodrigueznews and Bluesky @tomasfrodriguez.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Florida to seek death against parents in death of 12-year-old