Miami mom accused of beating son after he interrupts call with man he believed she was cheating with

A Miami woman is facing a felony child abuse charge after police say her 12-year-old son reported being repeatedly attacked by his mother, including during an argument that began while she was on the phone with a man the child believed she was cheating with, according to an arrest affidavit.

Lucianny Lizbeth Luna, 32, was arrested Thursday and charged with child abuse without great bodily harm, Miami police said.  

The investigation began when the boy told staff at his school that he wanted to report abuse by his mother. A responding officer observed visible injuries, including a contusion and lacerations near his left eye, according to the arrest affidavit.  

Argument during phone call led to alleged assault, police say

In a recorded statement, the boy told investigators the alleged abuse began on Wednesday after his mom picked him up from school and began driving him to Gwen Cherry Park.

During the drive, he said Luna was on the phone with a man he believed she was having an affair with. The boy told police he interrupted the conversation to correct something she told the man, that she was taking him to the park to play, saying instead he was only going so a coach could pick him up.

That interruption, he said, triggered the first attack.

According to the affidavit, Luna slapped him in the face, leaving a bruise between his eyebrows. She then allegedly grabbed his hair and struck him on the back of the head about 18 to 19 times with a small glass bottle.

The boy told investigators he felt "in shock" and froze momentarily before his mother began shaking him.

He also said that as they neared their home, Luna tried to slash him with her keys. He attempted to block the strike, but one of the keys cut his right palm, leaving a small laceration that officers later observed.  

Violence continued at home, threats reported

The boy told police the violence escalated once they arrived home.

After he told his stepfather what had happened, Luna allegedly struck him again on the left side of his face, causing an injury near his eye, and slammed him into a wall.

When he tried to run away, he said Luna grabbed his towel to stop him before the stepfather intervened and held her back. The boy then ran into his room and shut the door. From outside the room, Luna allegedly yelled threats, including "I want to kill you" and "You're not my son," and told him she would kill him "with anything I have," according to the affidavit.

Fearing for his life, the boy called a relative on Instagram video and showed his injuries, asking to be picked up. He told investigators he wanted to call 911 but was too scared.  

Injuries documented, witness backs account

Miami police said they observed injuries consistent with the boy's account, including swelling and cuts around his left eye, a laceration on his palm and a bruise on his back.

A relative who spoke with the boy during the video call corroborated his account, telling investigators she saw injuries to his face.

Another adult in the home told detectives he did not witness the incident and did not observe injuries at the time, the report states.  

Police said Luna denied hitting her son in the face or on the back of his head.

She was taken to the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center and is being held pending a bond hearing, authorities said.