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In the recent case of a NJ toddler killed mysteriously, allegedly at the hands of his own father, a possible motive has been revealed: the fact that the man’s underage lover hated kids.
Haddon Township resident David Creato Jr. (nicknamed D.J.), aged 22, contacted authorities on October 13, at approximately 6 a.m., claiming that he had just awoken, but his 3-year old son Brendan was nowhere to be found.
First responders were quickly dispatched at the scene, and a team of law enforcement officers and police dogs were able to find the boy floating lifeless in a stream from a wooden area, located less than a mile away from his home.
After examining the victim, coroners announced in December that the toddler had probably died due to “homicidal violence”. Apparently, he had been left without oxygen for an excessive amount of time, which suggests that he had probably been strangulated, or had suffocated or drowned.
A bruise that hadn’t yet healed was also found close to the young boy’s neck, but it couldn’t be determined with certainty that this had been linked to the event that triggered his death.
Eventually, on Monday, January 11, the boy’s father was apprehended by law enforcement and accused of murder and child endangerment. These charges have been presented officially during the arraignment, which took place the following day, at the Camden County Court.
Now, more light has been shed into this case, and evidence appears to be building up against Creato. For example, prosecutors have brought forth almost 10,000 message exchanges involving the defendant and his 17-year old girlfriend, now confirmed to be Julia Spensky.
The two had become acquainted through a popular dating app (Tinder), but had frequently sparred, one of their main sources of disagreement being Creato’s son.
Apparently, Spensky had envied the boy for the attention he received from his father, expressing on numerous occasions how much she loathed and begrudged the little boy’s presence.
In response to his underage lover’s incessant objections, Creato had attempted to appease her, even pledging that he would renounce paternal custody just in order to continue his illicit relationship.
As explained by Christine Shah, Camden County Assistant Prosecutor, shortly before Brendan’s death, Spensky had moved to New York, in order to start her college education, so the two lovers were only able to get together during the weekend.
As a result, Creato had become increasingly more insecure with the relationship, worrying that his girlfriend had already met someone else, and that she would soon break things off with him.
Allegedly, the desperate father didn’t know how else to react, and murdered his son, hoping that this way he would be able to keep his lover by his side.
Other evidence which appears to incriminate Creato is the fact that when Brendan’s deceased body was found, his socks were completely clean, despite the fact that the boy was right in the middle of the woods. This indicates that someone took the toddler from inside his own home, and transported him to the stream.
Another curious aspect is the fact that the defendant lied to law enforcement about the time he went to sleep the night before his son’s disappearance. Despite claiming he had been fast asleep by 10 p.m., Creato was found to have used his cellphone in order to check his lover’s Snapchat page, long after midnight.
Even so, as explained by ex-prosecutor Rocco Cipparone, despite a substantial amount of circumstantial evidence alluding that Brendan’s father was indeed the young boy’s killer, there is little direct proof.
More precisely, Creato has not pleaded guilty, no one saw the alleged murder as it was being committed, and it’s still undetermined how the toddler died.
For now, the suspect is in prison, and his bail has been set at $750,000. It remains to be seen what the following days will bring, in this horrific case that for now leaves too many questions still unanswered.
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