Will a North Miami Beach couple face upgraded charges after boy's death?

It has been two months since a six-year-old boy was taken off life support after police say he was brutally beaten by his mother’s boyfriend. Authorities arrested both the boyfriend and the child’s mother in connection with the case, but it remains unclear whether they will face upgraded charges following the boy’s death.

According to investigators, the child, identified as Mason, was a bright and joyful boy who loved music and singing karaoke. Mason, who had autism, was rushed to the hospital and placed in intensive care with severe brain injuries, including internal bleeding, after the alleged abuse.

Daniel Romero, the mother’s boyfriend, was taken into custody in January and accused of abusing the child. Investigators also say Romero gave conflicting accounts of what happened, initially claiming that Mason’s injuries were the result of a bicycle fall.

Mason’s grandmother, Elizabeth Garcia, was by his side until the end. She spoke to NBC6 after Romero’s hearing Thursday, calling for justice and urging prosecutors to upgrade the charges against Romero to murder.

“He’s gone, he’s physically not here. It’s horrible,” Garcia said. “Next month, he would have been graduating. We were robbed, I was robbed of my grandson’s future.”

Garcia appeared in court demanding accountability, saying, “I am here for justice for him. I show up for him because he deserves justice.”

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Police also allege that Mason’s mother, Cynthia Hernandez, shares responsibility. Investigators claim she failed to report the abuse and misled authorities. She could face more serious charges as the case develops

Despite this, Garcia described her daughter as a victim of domestic violence.

“I feel like she’s a victim. Domestic violence is a silent killer; victims don’t come forward because of it,” she said.

State attorneys say they are waiting for the medical examiner’s report to be finalized before determining whether additional or upgraded charges, including murder, will be filed.

Both Romero and Hernandez have pleaded not guilty.