Trial for Fort Liberty soldier charged with killing his infant daughter Misty Delatorre starts

FORT LIBERTY (WTVD) -- The trial is underway for the Fort Liberty soldier Sergeant Gabriel Ceville who is charged with the murder of his 8-month-old daughter, Misty Delatorre.

ABC11 first told you about Delatorre's death after her family said it was taking too long for justice.

After our investigation, Ceville was charged with unpremeditated murder and involuntary manslaughter in military court. Ceville's trial is taking place on Fort Liberty and is expected to last days.

This trial is a long time coming for 8-month-old Delatorre's family. Her grandmother Misty Bray, who Delatorre is named after said, "All we can think is just finally getting closure. You know, we need closure and justice for Misty."

Eight-month-old Delatorre died in February of 2023. In court, we heard how Delatorre was in Ceville's care at Fort Liberty when she stopped breathing, and he called 911. Once EMS arrived, she was airlifted to UNC-Chapel Hill and died a few days later. An autopsy ruled she died of blunt force trauma to her head and neck.

In court, the doctor who performed the autopsy said Delatorre 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 on her brain, eyes, neck, and spine 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.

Delatorre's mom, Alina Delatorre testified in court. She testified how her daughter was happy and healthy while in her care, and it wasn't until a judge awarded 50-50 custody and she had to give Delatorre to Ceville, that just three days into her stay with Ceville is when Delatorre was hospitalized and then later died.

The 911 call, Ceville made when he said his daughter stopped breathing was played in court, and Misty Bray said it was so hard to hear. Bray said, "We just couldn't believe what we're hearing, and then what they had said that he was texting while the EMS people on the phone were telling him to give Misty CPR, but he was texting his wife instead. So he, was he even trying to help my grand-baby? We could hear her in the background, you know, trying to fight for life and just it was just flooring."

The case against Ceville continues on Tuesday with testimony from an investigator on the case along with the 911 operator who took the call from Ceville.