Capital murder charge as punishment for Sherin Mathews’ father

The death of Sherin Mathews and the mystery behind it had kept the world at tether hooks. The culprit had been arrested and is soon to face his crimes.

The father of Sherin Mathews, the 3-year-old girl adopted from India and found deceased in a culvert near the family’s Richardson home, was indicted Friday on a capital murder charge.

“We can’t go into details, but based on that autopsy report, we were able to determine that we can seek capital murder for this case,” Dallas County District Attorney Faith Johnson said at a news conference announcing the indictment.

Wesley Mathews, the toddler’s 37-year-old adoptive father, was also indicted by a Dallas County grand jury on charges of abandoning a child and tampering with evidence.

Sherin’s body was found Oct. 26, more than two weeks after Wesley Mathews had reported her missing. Wesley Mathews initially told police Sherin disappeared after he punished her by sending her out in the night to stand by a tree near the home.

READ ALSO: Sherin Mathews Death: India banned US adoption agency for negligence

The father later changed his story to police and said that his daughter choked after he “physically assisted” her in drinking milk. He told investigators that he then moved her body from the home and planned to go back later and give her a proper burial.

The Medical Examiner’s office ruled last week the toddler died of “homicidal violence.”

Wesley Mathews was initially arrested on a felony charge of injury to a child with intent to commit serious bodily injury. He remains jailed on $1 million bond. His wife, Sini Mathews, is also in jail, held on $100,000 bond for child endangerment/abandoning for allegedly leaving Sherin home alone while she, her husband their other daughter went to dinner on Oct. 6, the night before Wesley reported Sherin missing.

In a statement Friday afternoon, Mitchell Nolte and Gregg Gibbs, attorneys for Sini Mathews, said:

“The indictments handed down today by a Dallas County Grand Jury confirm what we have previously stated. Sini Mathews had nothing to do with the tragic death of Sherin Mathews.”

Rafael De La Garza, attorney for Wesley Mathews, told an international agency that he does not have a statement at this time.