Oakmont man guilty of 3rd-degree murder in 3-year-old daughter's death

An Oakmont man was convicted of third-degree murder in the starvation death of his daughter.

Bella Seachrist, 3, died June 9, 2020, after she became unresponsive and was taken to UPMC St. Margaret hospital near Aspinwall.

In addition to the homicide charge, Jose Salazar-Ortiz Sr., 32, was found guilty of aggravated assault, endangering the welfare of a child and conspiracy during a nonjury trial Thursday before Allegheny County Judge Bruce R. Beemer, according to court documents.

Bella was subjected to sustained abuse and starvation in her family’s Oakmont home before her death, according to testimony at a preliminary hearing in the case.

The girl was not allowed to interact with other children in the household. She slept on a cot in a hallway while the others slept in beds in bedrooms, according to testimony.

She was forced to sit for so long on her training potty that her feet became swollen and purple, and she often was made to stand facing a wall with her arms in the air and head tilted up and was not permitted to put her head down, Allegheny County Police investigators said.

At the time of the girl’s death, the household included Salazar-Ortiz; his partner, Laura Ramriez, who is not Bella’s biological mother; the couple’s three children; and Ramriez’s sister, Alexis Herrera. Another sister, Ashanti Garcia, was visiting with the family, according to testimony.

Garcia testified that Herrera often would slap and punch Bella. She testified that the girl was lethargic and weak during the weekend before her death, when Salazar-Ortiz and Ramriez were away on a trip to Ohio.

By the afternoon of June 9, Bella was unresponsive, according to testimony. She was taken to UPMC St. Margaret hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Autopsy photos showed a skinny, bony child with bruises on her body.

Sentencing for Salazar-Ortiz is set for Aug. 8.

Ramriez and Herrera each are awaiting trial on homicide and other charges in the case.