A 31-year-old West Allis mother has pleaded guilty to child neglect resulting in death and chronic child neglect after her 4-year-old son, Dante Campbell, died last October following months of abuse inside their apartment. Charlotte Kurek admitted she failed to intervene as her boyfriend, Devario Cruz, repeatedly beat the boy, and that she turned up music at times to drown out his cries. Cruz, who is also Dante’s father, faces separate charges including first-degree reckless homicide and is scheduled for a court appearance next month.
Dante was found unresponsive in a Dairy Queen parking lot near a West Allis fire station on October 18, 2025, according to Shore News Network. Emergency responders attempted lifesaving measures before he was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. Medical staff at Children’s Wisconsin who examined him that day documented at least 12 distinct bruises on his face alone alongside extensive bodily trauma, determining his condition was entirely inconsistent with an accidental fall down stairs, as reported by WTMJ.
Cruz initially told investigators Dante had fallen down a flight of stairs the previous evening, but the boy’s stiffness and bone-white gums indicated prolonged oxygen deprivation, and his clothing smelled of urine. Court filings state that as Cruz and Kurek drove to drop off Dante’s twin sister at a friend’s house before eventually calling 911, Cruz repeatedly told Kurek, “I killed my kid, I want to kill myself.” The twin sister was later found with a swollen eye and scratches, and told police, “Daddy hurt me.”
A Pattern of Abuse Documented for Months
Criminal complaints allege Cruz subjected Dante and his twin sister to physical abuse that included forcing them to stand on Legos as punishment, striking Dante in the forehead with a wooden bed slat, and throwing him across rooms and against walls, according to CBS 58. Cruz reportedly rated the force of his strikes as a 7 or 8 on a scale of 1 to 10, and told investigators he used only his hands. Three older children from Kurek’s previous relationship also lived in the apartment and told investigators they witnessed repeated abuse and heard Dante screaming, per the same outlet…