FORT WORTH - They weren’t related to the boy, but John Winkler and Laura Martinez considered themselves adoptive grandparents to young Adrian Langlais.
When Martinez’s son began living with Jessica Langlais, then six months pregnant with Adrian by another man, Martinez and Winkler welcomed the expectant mother into their lives.
When Adrian was born on March 18, 2013, Martinez was among the first at the hospital to hold him.
Martinez and Winkler, her common-law husband, began baby-sitting Adrian when Langlais returned to work. It was a task that Winkler gladly continued even after the relationship between Langlais and Martinez’s son ended — and his own relationship with Martinez began to fall apart.
Last fall, not long after Langlais started dating Christian Tyrrell, Winkler said, he noticed bruises on Adrian, accompanied by what he called unusual behavior.
Winkler said he expressed concern to Langlais and to Adrian’s biological father and eventually to Child Protective Services, which investigated and closed its case in February, ruling out abuse or neglect by Adrian’s biological parents and Tyrrell.
“They left the child vulnerable,” Winkler said. “They made that decision and they made the wrong decision.”
On March 18 — Adrian’s second birthday — the toddler was taken by ambulance to a hospital, where an examination revealed severe head trauma, including multiple skull fractures and bleeding on the brain, as well as bruising and swelling around his eyes, neck and head. His body also had bite marks.
Adrian died the next day.
On Wednesday, Fort Worth police arrested Tyrrell on a capital murder warrant at his parents’ home, accusing the 22-year-old of inflicting the injuries that caused Adrian’s death. Bail was set at $1 million.
“No other charges in this case are anticipated at this time,” said Sgt. Jim Thomson, supervisor of the crimes against children unit.
Though grateful for the arrest, Winkler and Martinez say the child’s mother and CPS employees should also be held accountable for not protecting Adrian. Winkler has reached out to politicians and started
a Facebook pageaimed at telling Adrian’s story and pushing for justice.
Because the criminal case is still active, CPS officials said they have not been cleared to release information. Langlais did not return a phone message and a Facebook message seeking comment.
“To know he’s gone is breaking me,” Martinez said in a recent interview. “But on the other hand, I’m happy because he’s not here anymore. He didn’t deserve the life these people were giving to him. I’m glad he’s with God.
“I’m glad nobody is going to hurt him anymore.”
‘Mind your own business’
Winkler, a landlord who leased a home in the
1900 block of Cedar Tree Lane to Langlais, said he first questioned her about Adrian’s bruises in November.
He said Langlais told him they occurred as Adrian played and roughhoused with other children at the home of Tyrrell’s mother, who sometimes cared for the boy.
“In about November, I start noticing a change in Adrian’s behavior,” Winkler said. “He’s starting to hit me in the face. Sometimes when she brings him over, he’s like in shock. … He clings to me. I’m telling her, ‘I don’t know what the deal is but there’s something going on here.’”
“Her indifference about it was a concern.”
After consulting with Adrian’s father and others, including an attorney, Winkler reported the injuries to CPS on Dec. 23, knowing that if Langlais found out, she would likely cut off his access to Adrian.
But before Langlais learned of the CPS complaint, things boiled over on the night of Dec. 26 after Tyrrell came to pick Adrian up and Adrian appeared frightened, Winkler said.
“He immediately ran to me, grabbed me … and was holding on,” Winkler recalled. “He would look over and look away from him, and he started crying. He dug into my arm with his little fingernails so much it broke the skin.”
Winkler said he told Tyrrell that he’d drop off the boy when Langlais returned home from work.
“He got real upset and left. He immediately went up to Jessica’s work, and I started receiving texts from her,” Winkler said.
In the text message exchange, which Winkler shared with the
Star-Telegram, he told Langlais that Adrian seemed afraid to go with Tyrrell. Langlais responded that the boy was just having a tantrum.
“John you can’t make decisions like that. I am his mother,” Langlais texted Winkler. “And if you keep this up I’m gonna have to make other arrangement for Adrian.”
Winkler texted back that he loved and cared about her and Adrian and had only her best interests in mind.
“John I don’t appreciate you insinuating that Christian is harmful to me and my child, Christian loves Adrian and is really good with him,” she responded.
“Adrian is frightened of him, that is a fact … I am concerned you do not realize it,” Winkler replied.
“That’s your opinion,” Langlais wrote. “Please mind your own business.”
It was the last night Winkler was allowed to watch Adrian.
Winkler’s criminal record
After Langlais learned of the CPS complaint, Winkler said she called him and told him that she had informed CPS of Winkler’s criminal record and that he was no longer allowed to see Adrian.
Winkler’s most recent legal problems were connected to the breakup of Langlais and Martinez’s son. After the breakup — and before she started dating Tyrrell — Langlais started seeing Adrian’s father, Ulises Hererra, again.
Winkler said Martinez’s son became angry with him after he helped Langlais move items out of the apartment that they had shared. Then Martinez grew upset with how Langlais had treated her son. Martinez wanted Winkler to cease contact with Langlais.
When he would not, the relationship between Winkler and Martinez deteriorated and they separated. The two, however, remained friends, with Martinez often visiting Winkler when he was caring for Adrian so she could see the boy.
In May 2014, Winkler said, he went to the Grapevine restaurant where Martinez’s son worked to try to smooth things over with him. Instead, he was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated and aggravated assault after he accelerated his vehicle toward the restaurant’s general manager, who had asked him to leave.
Though Langlais was aware of his legal problems, Winkler said, she had no reservations with him continuing to care for Adrian. Only after he made the CPS report did Langlais use his arrest against him, he said.
The aggravated-assault case was dismissed last month after Winkler pleaded guilty to DWI — his third such conviction — in exchange for five years’ probation.