A Pennsylvania woman who adopted a baby boy turned her role as a mother into “cruelty,” ultimately torturing the child to death, prosecutors allege.
Lauren Maloberti, 36, is standing trial this week in Westmoreland County, charged with criminal homicide, aggravated assault, and child endangerment in the death of her 5-year-old adoptive son, Landon Maloberti.
“She took a sacred responsibility and chose to be a mother. Then it turned into cruelty,” Assistant District Attorney Cassidy Hatten told jurors on Tuesday. “Landon was isolated, mistreated, terrorized and killed. Not by a stranger but by a person who was supposed to protect him.”
Lauren Maloberti first assumed custody of Landon in 2017, approximately two months after her cousin gave birth to him. She formally adopted him about two years later. In 2021, she married her high school sweetheart, Jacob Maloberti, 36, who also faces identical charges. He is expected to testify against her, according to The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
Prosecutors say conditions in the home worsened following the marriage, along with Lauren’s relationship with Landon. On January 30, 2023, the couple brought an unconscious Landon to a Pittsburgh-area hospital, where medical staff allegedly noted the parents showed “no urgency” and claimed the child was simply “wobbly from COVID a month prior.”
Landon was transferred to a children’s hospital, where he died approximately a week later from blunt-force trauma. Medical staff reportedly discovered dozens of bruises on Landon’s body and diagnosed him with catastrophic brain trauma. A forensic examination also revealed evidence of prior abuse.
Testimony this week painted a disturbing picture of life inside the Maloberti home. Other children in the household reportedly told investigators that Landon was smacked by his mother, sprayed with water, forced to drink from a toilet, isolated, and monitored by a camera.
His sister-in-law, Erika Dilascio, testified that Lauren was initially loving but grew increasingly impatient, complaining that Landon misbehaved and didn’t show her affection. When Dilascio confronted Lauren about the injuries, the response left her unsatisfied, per Pittsburgh WTAE.
“She said after he slipped and fell he lay there for a while, then got up and was fine. I was expecting more,” Dilascio stated. “Just a slip and fall isn’t enough for a child not to wake up.”
Jacob Maloberti’s mother also testified that Lauren treated her other children warmly, but not Landon. “She was loving towards the other kids, but not Landon,” Tammy Kemerer told jurors.
Lauren’s defense attorney, Adam Gozelsky, argued the case is being misrepresented by prosecutors. “The facts of this case are complicated. They are not straightforward by any means,” he said. The trial is expected to continue for two weeks.
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