A couple have been accused of beating their adopted son to death after they posted a sick fundraiser to raise money for “good lawyers” and claimed to be “devastated.”
Lauren, 34, and Jacob Maloberti, 33, a prosecutor at the Fayette State Correctional Center, are charged with violently assaulting Landon, 5, causing blunt force injuries to his head and neck.
Police questioned the couple after taking the unresponsive schoolboy to AHN Hempfield Neighborhood Hospital on Jan. 30, claiming he had been “wobbly with COVID a month earlier.”
Hospital staff claimed Lauren showed no urgency when they arrived, as the pair waited an entire day after allegedly inflicting the injuries to get him medical attention in Greensburg, Pennsylvania.
Just two days after being accused of beating little Landon so badly that he suffered three cerebral hemorrhages, Lauren set up a GoFundMe asking for help initially with legal fees and then with funeral expenses.
Little Landon was beaten so badly that he suffered three cerebral hemorrhages as a result of the brutal attacks
Lauren, 34, and Jacob Maloberti, 33, a prosecutor at the Fayette State Correctional Center, are charged with violently assaulting Landon, 5, causing blunt force injuries to his head and neck
The fundraiser, which has since been removed, raised a total of $5,350, with Lauren begging for sympathy before her adopted son passed away on Feb. 7.
She wrote, “Tragedy struck our family when our precious baby boy became unresponsive. I rushed him to the ER and they intubated him and he hasn’t responded since. the result does not look good.
“While we were in the hospital, CPS stripped us of our parental rights pending the investigation.
‘I’m devastated. We are devastated. We both need good lawyers. My children are my world. Every little bit helps us as we now navigate life with our newfound uncertainty.
Help us fight, I can’t live without our children. I’m already losing my boy.’
It was later updated to say they had to prepare for the “most unimaginable outcome” and her heart “broke into a million pieces.”
But despite social media posts to appear as loving parents, police say the pair inflicted such serious injuries on the little boy that he was unable to stand, eat or drink.
Doctors at the hospital said they should have called 911 immediately because Landon’s brain had been “wiped out” during the attack.
Lauren set up a GoFundMe and initially asked for help with legal fees and then days after Landon’s death for funeral expenses
Jacob Maloberti, 33, a prosecutor at Fayette State Correctional Center told officers Landon was sick
According to police, he had multiple bruises on his body, was unable to breathe on his own and had rotational head trauma suggestive of severe child abuse. A doctor described the abuse as “torture.”
Law enforcement officers interviewed his siblings who said Landon was beaten by their mother because “he didn’t learn his lesson,” adding that Lauren would hit him with her open hand, use a wooden spoon or spray bottle.
The lawsuit against the couple, who have five other children, says that Lauren gets “angrier” at Landon when she spanks him and would send the kids upstairs.
His siblings said they would hear him cry, and Lauren’s former colleagues said she “hated him” and he was “hard to love.”
When interviewed by police, Lauren allegedly changed her story several times, while Jacob told officers he was sick.
Both parents are accused of sending several text messages from April 2022 until his death, allegedly showing contempt for Landon, with Lauren accused of saying she was “going to kill him.”
The Allegheny County medical examiner determined that the little boy’s manner of death was homicide.
Jacob has been charged with one count of murder, child endangerment and criminal conspiracy, as well as two counts of aggravated assault on a child.
Hospital staff claimed Lauren showed no urgency when they arrived, as the pair waited an entire day after allegedly inflicting the injuries to get medical attention for him
Lauren faces the same charges as her husband, with an additional count of first degree murder.
His siblings said they would hear him cry, and Lauren’s former colleagues said she “hated him” and he was “hard to love.”
Pennsylvania law uses the term criminal manslaughter to cover all classifications of murder, voluntary manslaughter, and involuntary manslaughter, while first degree murder claims that the defendant knowingly killed another person.
Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli said, “Landon had blunt trauma to his head and neck, blunt trauma to his torso, and blunt trauma to his extremities.
His injuries caused significant pain at the time they were inflicted, with impairment of function including the inability to stand, the inability to eat or drink and loss of consciousness.
“Tragically, Landon endured abuse and trauma during his short life. We intend to prosecute this case with the dignity and honor Landon deserves.
“Landon also had lengthy and intensive medical procedures prior to his death and multiple contusions in various stages of healing.”
Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli said ‘Landon had blunt force trauma to his head and neck’
The lawsuit against the couple, who have five other children, says Lauren gets “boozer” at Landon when she spanks him and would send the kids upstairs
She confirmed that the couple’s other five children had been removed from their care and were now safe, but would not say if more should have been done to prevent Landon from being adopted by the Maolbertis.
Delmont Police Chief TJ Klobucar said in a statement that he had “never experienced an incident like this,” adding that the little boy was assaulted several times.
Landon’s obituary states that he enjoyed playing with monster trucks and cars, singing country music and eating pickles.
Landon’s biological grandmother, Kathie Sheffler, told police she didn’t notice any signs of abuse until April 2022, when Lauren stopped letting her see Landon.
She claims Lauren told her “he was naughty” and didn’t respond when she asked to see Landon over the holidays.
Police added that Lauren was complaining that Landon had told his grandmother he loved her but wouldn’t tell his adoptive mother.
Sheffler said, “It shouldn’t have been. He was a sweet little boy. He didn’t have to die. I just want justice.’
The Malobertis are being held without bail at Westmoreland County Prison and will return to court on August 8.