David Elliott Pleads Guilty to Murder by Abuse of 3-Year-old Aniya Zamora

Elliott was sentenced to the presumptive sentence of life imprisonment.

David Gene Elliott Jr. has been sentenced to life in prison, with a minimum of 25 years. Photo: Marion County Sheriff

(SALEM, Ore.) -

3-yr old Aniya deserved justice.

David Gene Elliott pleaded guilty and was sentenced for the assault and murder of 3 year-old Aniya Zamora, and assault of 5 year-old Xadrian Zamora September 30, 2016, before the Honorable Dale Penn.

Elliott pleaded guilty to Murder by Abuse and two counts of Assault in the Third Degree.

29-year old Elliott admitted to causing blunt force trauma to Aniya's abdomen which contributed to her death and causing Xadrian physical injury.

For the crime of Murder by Abuse, Elliott was sentenced to the presumptive sentence of life imprisonment with a mandatory minimum of 25 years before he is eligible for parole.

For the crimes of Assault in the Third Degree, Elliott was sentenced to 13 months in the Department of Corrections on each count, concurrent to all counts.

Aniya Zamora and Xadrian Zamora were the children of Elliott's girlfriend, Mercedes Alvarado, 26.

Aniya had been vomiting for three days when she was placed in the bathtub on April 15, 2013. While Aniya was in the bath, Alvarado was in another room wearing noise canceling headphones.

Her live-in boyfriend, David Elliott, went to check on Aniya and found her floating face down in the bathtub. Alvarado and Elliott were the only adults in the home at the time.

According to Clifford Nelson of the State Medical Examiner's Office, Aniya died of cerebral anoxia due to near drowning after blunt force abdominal trauma. Her death was ruled a homicide.

In June of 2015, Alvarado, was convicted of Manslaughter in the First Degree by a jury in Marion County for recklessly, by neglect or maltreatment, causing the death of her 3 year-old daughter Aniya.

The children's mother, Mercedes Alvarado was sentenced to 10 years in the Department of Corrections.

Source: Marion Co. Dist. Attorney's Office