'Daddy ate my eyes' case: Suspect appears in court

Angelo Mendoza Sr. is seen during a brief court appearance Tuesday for a pretrial arraignment.

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Story Published: Jun 16, 2009 at 4:23 PM PST

By BakersfieldNow.com Staff

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Click on the video icon to watch Angelo Mendoza's brief court appearance Tuesday for a pretrial arraignment.

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- The public got its first look Tuesday at Angelo Mendoza Sr. since his arrest in April on suspicion of biting out his 4-year-old son's eyes.

Mendoza actually made his court debut last month, but his lawyers blocked him from camera's view at that time. Mendoza waived his right to a preliminary hearing during the original showing. Normally, a preliminary hearing is held to determine if there is enough evidence to hold a defendant for trial and is usually followed by a second arraignment.

Mendoza's case was continued until June 23 during his brief appearance Tuesday for a pretrial arraignment.

The 34-year-old man faces four felony charges for the April 28 attack on his son, Angelo Mendoza Jr. The child, who was discovered by a neighbor lying naked in a bloody heap on the floor of an Ohio Drive apartment, told officers, "My daddy ate my eyes," and, "Daddy bit my eyes and hands," according to Bakersfield police reports.

Mendoza is in a wheelchair with a spinal cord injury, and police said he rolled away from his apartment after allegedly attacking his son and started hacking away at his leg with an ax.

Police reported that Mendoza was showing signs of being under the influence of the psychedelic drug best known as PCP or angel dust during the alleged abuse.

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