Remembering Antonio

Antonio Angel was only five months old. At five months, a baby is completely dependent upon the adults around him. Antonio could not explain when something hurt, ask someone else for help, or remove himself from an unsafe situation. He had only begun his life. There is very little publicly preserved about Antonio's personality or the ordinary moments of his five months the things that made him smile, the way he liked to be held, or the milestones he was beginning to reach. What survives publicly instead is largely the record of the violence that ended his life. But Antonio was a baby before he was a homicide case. His name was Antonio Angel, and five months was still a life worth remembering.

Antonio's Story

On November 18, 2011, Antonio was in the care of his father, Anthony Michael Angel. Anthony later told investigators that Antonio had injured his head while the two were riding a Pueblo city bus. Police reviewed video from inside the bus and confirmed that Antonio did bump his head against a metal bar. But the video also showed something important: Antonio remained active and appeared normal after that incident. Investigators and physicians concluded that the minor bump captured on the bus video could not explain the catastrophic brain injury that ultimately killed him. Later that day, Anthony said Antonio began choking. A neighbor told police that Anthony came to him asking for a ride to the hospital because Antonio was not breathing. Antonio was first taken to Parkview Medical Center in Pueblo. Doctors reportedly did not initially see an obvious external injury that could account for his condition, but Antonio was critically ill and suffering from a severe brain injury. He was transferred to Children's Hospital in Denver. The autopsy revealed the severity of what had happened. Antonio had suffered severe blunt-force trauma to his head and an acute brain injury. Police said the fatal damage was located toward the right front/right temporal area of his head. According to Pueblo police, an injury of that severity would have produced symptoms very quickly within minutes rather than hours. That timing was critical. Investigators concluded that Antonio's fatal injury occurred after the bus ride, while he was in his father's care, rather than from the minor bump visible on the bus video. Antonio remained hospitalized in critical condition. On November 21, 2011, three days after he was brought to the hospital, Antonio was declared brain dead and taken off life support. His mother later described his cause of death from the autopsy as blunt-force trauma to the head with acute brain injury.

The Warning Signs

Child protection authorities had been involved with Antonio's family before he was born. Records and information preserved from the family's child welfare history describe previous allegations involving Antonio's mother, Brandi Strawn, and her older daughter. Strawn disputed those allegations and maintained that Anthony Angel had made false accusations during a custody dispute. The particular allegations were reportedly investigated but could not be substantiated. There were also concerns involving domestic violence within the family, and child-protection services had been involved in attempting to address problems in the home. Strawn's older daughter was eventually removed from her care and placed in foster care. Antonio was born shortly afterward. That history does not mean that anyone could have known exactly what would later happen to Antonio. But it does mean that he entered a family already known to the child protection system and one in which concerns had previously been raised. Antonio was completely dependent upon the adults around him for his safety. Five months after he was born, he was dead.

Justice for Antonio

Anthony Michael Angel was arrested in connection with his son's death. He was initially accused of first degree murder and child abuse resulting in death. For approximately two years, Anthony maintained his innocence. As the case approached trial, however, the case was resolved through a plea. According to information publicly shared by Antonio's mother, Anthony pleaded guilty to second degree murder and child abuse resulting in death. He faced a sentencing range of 16 to 25 years, and the judge imposed a 25 year prison sentence.

 

Person convicted: Anthony Michael Angel

Relationship to Antonio: Father

Convictions: Second degree murder and child abuse resulting in death

Sentence: 25 years imprisonment

 

Years later, Antonio's mother continued publicly advocating in her son's memory as Anthony approached possible release from prison. In 2021, she organized an effort opposing his release and continued speaking publicly about Antonio's life and death.

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Forever Remembered 

Antonio lived for five months. Most of what the public can now find about him describes a bus video, a brain injury, an autopsy, an arrest and a murder case. But Antonio was more than the evidence used to determine how he died. He was a baby. He should have had years ahead of him in which people learned what made him laugh, what kind of little boy he would become, and eventually what kind of person he wanted to be. Instead, the adults who loved Antonio were left with five months of memories. His mother continued speaking his name a decade after his death and fighting to keep his story from being forgotten. That tells us something about Antonio that no autopsy report ever could: He was loved, and he was still being mourned years later.  His name was Antonio Angel.  Abuse Angels remembers Antonio, tells the truth about the violence that ended his life, and honors the baby boy behind the investigation and court case. Antonio Angel mattered. And he will never be forgotten.