Santa Barbara County prosecutors last week painted a horrifying picture of the abuse endured by a 3-year-old Santa Barbara girl before she finally was killed last year, allegedly by her mother’s boyfriend.

The detailed allegations came during the day-long preliminary hearing Friday in Superior Court for 26-year-old Elvis Alberto Lopez, who is charged with murder, assault and other felonies in connection with the death of Mila Solis on Feb. 4, 2023.

In a brief filed in advance of Friday’s preliminary hearing, Chief Deputy District Attorney Jennifer Karapetian offered Judge Pauline Maxwell a literal blow-by-blow account of the injuries allegedly inflicted on the toddler by Lopez.

At the end of the hearing, Maxwell ordered Lopez to stand trial on all charges, in addition to a special-circumstances allegation that the murder was committed while the defendant was engaged in mayhem, Karapetian told Noozhawk.

Lopez is due back in court on June 20 for arraignment on the charges.

Testimony on Friday tracked the details outlined in Karapetian’s brief, and included the following information and allegations:

Mila, who was born in June 2019, was the daughter of Stephaney Valladares and Miguel Solis, who began dating in 2013 and split up in 2022.

Valladares then began a relationship with Lopez, and he eventually moved in with her. Each has a child from previous relationships.

In November 2022, Solis and his mother picked up Mila, and noticed that she had “suspicious bruising to her face.” She allegedly told her father the injury had been caused by Lopez.

“Throughout the next several months, each time Miguel saw Mila, he noticed she had new suspicious bruises to her face, body, abdomen, fingernails and toenails,” the brief states.

Solis used a cell phone to take photographs of the injuries, which were introduced into evidence at the preliminary hearing.

“Valladares disclosed to DA Investigator Chad Hunt that the defendant was controlling, manipulative, abusive both verbally and physically, and had visions of starting a family with her. The defendant was jealous of Mila’s father, Mr. Solis,” the filing says. 

The last couple weeks of Mila’s life were “particularly trying” for the couple, and came to a head when Valladares learned that Lopez was cheating on her with another woman.

“Ms. Valladares was at her wits end with the defendant,” the filing states. “She broke up with him, and tried to get him out of the house. The defendant refused to leave, and manipulated her into letting him stay so they could work things out.”

On Feb. 2, 2023, there was an incident in which Mila suffered injuries to her face and eye, allegedly inflicted by Lopez.

Two days later, Valladares went to work, and Lopez stayed home to watch Mila and the two other children. That was the day the young child suffered her fatal injuries.

Her siblings told investigators that Lopez carried Mila to a couch in the living room, that she was having difficulty breathing, and that she was unable to sit up.

At that point, Lopez called the mother and claimed the toddler fell off the bed and hurt her back, the brief states.

Valladares told Lopez to call 9-1-1, and paramedics arrives a short time later. They performed CPR on Mila before transporting her to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, where she was declared dead.

Dr. Manuel Montez, the pathologist who conducted the autopsy on the girl for the sheriff’s Coroner’s Bureau, found evidence of some two dozen injuries to her head, face, abdomen, back and extremities.

He also determined that the girl had blunt-force injuries to her back, abdomen, head and right lower leg.

“Dr. Montez opined that Mila died shortly after receiving blunt force trauma to her back, such as from a kick or a punch, with such extreme force it caused her spine to break in half, resulting in her bleeding out and dying shortly thereafter…” the filing states.

“Dr. Montez opined that an injury like this could only be caused by significant blunt force trauma, such as a forceful kick or punch from someone strong enough to inflict such a blow.”

Lopez was arrested on Feb. 11, 2023, by Santa Barbara police detectives.

He was charged by the District Attorney’s Office with one count of murder, one count of assault on a child causing death, and four counts of corporal injury to a child, all felonies.

He also is facing a number of special allegations, including that the alleged crimes are “second strikes” under California’s “three-strikes law.”

Lopez has a previous conviction, in 2016, for assault with force likely to produce great bodily injury, and that the attack was committed for the benefit of a criminal street gang, according to the criminal complaint.

He remains in custody at the Northern Branch Jail near Santa Maria, with bail set at $4 million.