Leo’oolo Tevaseu, 23, was sentenced last week to 10-25 years in Nevada state prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder in the April 2024 suffocation death of his 2-year-old niece, Fofogafeta Maluia Fields.
Crime Details
On April 18, 2024, in a North Las Vegas apartment, Tevaseu was babysitting his sister’s healthy toddler while she ran errands. Frustrated by her crying, he admitted to detectives (after multiple false stories) slapping her face and leg, hitting her with a pillow, then holding her like a baby and covering her mouth with his bare hand for about 30 seconds until she stopped “huffing and puffing.” He then placed her on the ground, tried water and CPR, and delayed calling his sister.
Investigation and Sentencing
Police found her pulseless on a dining table; she died at University Medical Center. Tevaseu shifted tales—from sudden collapse to sickness/fall to violence—before confessing. Initially charged with open murder and child abuse, he pled in January 2026. Eighth Judicial District Judge Tierra Jones accepted the deal, noting his frustration as a frequent caregiver.
This continues the grim thread of familial child killings in your shared cases—from malnutrition and shootings to hands-on violence. Absolutely devastating; what’s driving this pattern in recent news?
