Grandmother gets probation in Miami boy’s kidnapping case – NBC 6 South Florida
The grandmother of Jorge “JoJo” Morales, the 6-year-old Miami boy with autism who was found in Canada months after he was allegedly kidnapped by his father, was given probation Thursday as part of a plea deal.
Lilliam Morales, 70, attended a hearing Thursday in Miami-Dade where she was sentenced to 10 years of probation.
Prosecutors agreed to drop a kidnapping charge against her in exchange for her pleading guilty to one count of removing a child from the state and one count of custody interference.
She was also ordered to stay away from her grandson and his mother, Yanet Leal Concepcion.
During Thursday’s hearing Concepcion gave an emotional statement by phone, calling the episode “a parent’s worst nightmare” as she fought back tears and addressed Lilliam Morales.
“When I was getting divorced you told me that you were gonna show me what getting a divorce is like,” she said. “In my heart I was not ready for all the terror that you were ready to cause. I have lived in paranoia for years since I divorced your son Jorge.”
JoJo went missing on Aug. 27, 2022, after his father, Jorge Gabriel Morales, failed to return him to his mother as part of a custody agreement, authorities said.
A missing person alert for JoJo was issued, naming the father and his mother. Both were taken into custody by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police on Oct. 30, 2022, after JoJo was found with his father at a Walmart in New Brunswick.
Police later found Lilliam Morales about 40 minutes away at a cabin.
The father and grandmother were later extradited to Miami-Dade to face charges.
Jorge Gabriel Morales, 46, still faces charges including kidnapping, interference with custody, removing a child from the state, aggravated assault, child abuse and attempted false imprisonment. He remains held without bond and his trial is set to begin in April, where he faces up to life in prison on the kidnapping charge.
JoJo and his mother were reunited Nov. 2, 2022, at Miami International Airport.
