St. Paul man sentenced in torture case of 2 young children

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - A 19-year-old man who pleded guilty to torturing two young children was sentenced in Ramsey County court on Monday.

Diego Ramon Calzada-Russette, 19, was sentenced to serve 57 months, nearly five years, at the St. Cloud prison with credit for 180 days served. 

Calzada-Russette and Jamie Rae Wilson, 19, were accused of torturing a 2-year-old and a 5-year-old. Both children were found with extensive bruising, cigarette burns and other serious injuries, according to court records.

The pair were charged in September 2022 on two counts of felony child torture and initially pled not guilty. Wilson and Calzada-Russette had separate trials scheduled for January and February, respectively, but pleded guilty in January 2023. 

Wilson was sentenced on March 20 to serve 57 months at the Shakopee Prison with credit for 177 days served. 

A doctor who evaluated the two children told investigators that this was "the worst case of abuse he has seen in over 20 years," court documents say.