Father gets life for son's brutal murder

Joel Roberto, 39, has been sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 16 years for the second-degree murder of his four-year-old son, Jaelin Roberto Colley. The sentencing occurred on Friday in a Toronto courtroom. Roberto has already spent nearly 12 years in custody.

Jaelin was found deceased in the couple's North York home on October 13, 2014. He exhibited severe blunt force injuries to his head and face and suffered from extreme malnutrition. A post-mortem examination revealed the boy died from blunt force trauma while choking on his vomit, with severe malnutrition as a contributing factor.

Justice John McMahon stated that Roberto did nothing to protect his son, despite taking a video of the child in distress approximately an hour before his death. Roberto also lied to 911 operators about the circumstances of Jaelin's condition. The court heard that parental frustration over toilet training issues played a role in the tragic events.

This marks the second conviction for both Roberto and his partner, Ravyn Colley, who was also convicted of second-degree murder. Both were granted new trials after an initial appeal. A sentencing hearing for Colley is scheduled for a later date. Roberto expressed remorse, calling himself a "coward" and acknowledging his failure to save his son.