FORT LIBERTY, N.C. (WTVD) -- A verdict of not guilty for the Fort Liberty soldier charged with killing his 8-month-old daughter, Misty Delatorre.
The jury found Sergeant Gabriel Ceville with the 82nd airborne not guilty on all charges he faced in the death of his daughter. Misty's mom, Alina Delatorre shocked with the verdict.
"I'm angry. I feel like they failed Misty. Now he gets to live his life as if Misty never existed. The evidence was there. The prosecuting team did a good job. The jury just didn't do their jobs," Delatorre adds.
Ceville's court-martial took place on Fort Liberty. Ceville did take the stand and testified he did not hurt Misty. The 8-month-old died in February of 2023. During the trial, Troubleshooter Diane Wilson heard testimony that Misty was in Ceville's care at Fort Liberty when she stopped breathing, and he called 911. Once EMS arrived, she was airlifted to the hospital and died a few days later.
An autopsy ruled she died of blunt force trauma to her head and neck. Her manner of death was ruled a homicide by the NC State Medical Examiner's Office and Ceville was eventually charged with her death after Misty's family fought for justice.
In court, the doctor who performed the autopsy and said Misty had severe brain and eye injuries, saying her eyes were full of blood. He compared the trauma to a high-speed car crash, and the hemorrhages were hours to days old, and her manner of death was a homicide.
The defense argued that medical intervention to save Misty could have caused some of the injuries and bruising, and even her being sick as she did test positive for COVID-19 at the time of death could have caused some of the injuries. Ceville did take the stand in his defense and denied hurting his daughter.
The jury of Ceville's peers found him not guilty on charges of domestic abuse and unpremeditated murder. The trial was in military court, and ABC11 was limited access to it as we needed an escort to get on Fort Liberty. When Ceville testified and the jury reached its verdict, ABC11 was not granted access to Fort Liberty. Delatorre says the Army failed her daughter. "We came here for closure and justice, but I feel like we were just a joke to them. Like we don't matter, Misty, didn't it matter. I feel like the Army failed me and failed Misty, and they're protecting their own people." Delatorre added.
Despite the not guilty verdict, Delatorre says she will pursue a civil case against Ceville for Misty's death. She adds, "I can't give up. We can't give up. Misty's family is not going to give up on her. they're not going to give up on justice."
ABC11 has attempted to reach Ceville and his team for comment but has not been able to connect.