Texas Father Sentenced to 45 Years for Brutal Death of 12-Year-Old Son Who Was Forced to Write ‘I Will Obey’

A Texas father has been sentenced to decades behind bars after a court found him guilty of killing his 12-year-old son through months of torture and violent punishments that eventually left the child brain dead.

On Monday, 437th District Court Judge Joel Perez sentenced 35-year-old Derrick Coles to 45 years in prison for the death of his son, Danilo Coles. The shocking case, which has horrified many across the U.S., revealed a pattern of relentless physical and psychological abuse.

Investigators say the young boy was forced to perform extreme punishments that included hours of pushups, standing for long periods while holding 50-pound boxes, being scalded with boiling water, and enduring severe beatings.

According to reports, Coles and his then-wife, Kapri Cheatom, also forced Danilo to repeatedly write the phrase, “I will obey all people that live in the household,” in a notebook as part of his punishment.

The cruelty ultimately led to the boy’s collapse and death in February 2022.

On the morning of his death, Cheatom told investigators that Danilo had cursed at her, prompting another round of “discipline.” The boy was reportedly ordered to hold up heavy boxes for hours, then do pushups when his strength gave out.

When he could no longer continue, Coles allegedly took a belt and beat the child while he lay curled on the floor.

A short time later, the 12-year-old was found unresponsive and not breathing inside their home on Wurzbach Road in San Antonio. Emergency responders tried to revive him, but doctors at University Hospital determined he had no brain activity. He was pronounced dead later that night.

The medical examiner ruled Danilo’s death a homicide, citing toxicity due to over-exercising and multiple blunt-force injuries. Doctors also reported extensive bruising, internal bleeding, and severe wounds on his body injuries inconsistent with Coles’ claim that his son had simply fallen in the shower.

Both Coles and Cheatom were arrested soon after. During questioning, Coles admitted to “disciplining” his son, saying the boy had recently moved from Chicago  where he was reportedly also abused  and was “disrespectful” toward his new guardians.

In August, a jury found Coles guilty of four counts of first-degree injury to a child resulting in serious bodily injury, leading to his 45-year prison sentence.

Cheatom, who was also charged in connection to the case, is expected to go on trial next year. Her next court appearance is scheduled for October 31.

The death of 12-year-old Danilo Coles has reignited conversations about child abuse, neglect, and the failure of adults to protect vulnerable children.

No sentence, however, can undo the loss of a young boy whose only “crime” was being a child trying to survive in a home that should have kept him safe.