The San Diego County District Attorney’s Office on Sept. 11 announced a man and a women were recently sentenced for child abuse that included burnings and the forced use of drugs.
According to the DA’s office, Devin Hughes, 39 and Kayla Reynolds, 32, of Boulevard, were sentenced to 25 years in prison for their repeated abuse of their 7 year old niece, who eventually was able to run to a neighbor’s home to ask for help.
The couple pleaded guilty to 15 felony counts in March, including torture, child abuse, corporal injury, mayhem, and assault likely to cause great bodily injury.
“The level of abuse inflicted on this 7-year-old child is abhorrent and heartbreaking,” said District Attorney Summer Stephan.
“Our prosecution team, the dedicated deputies and detectives at the Sheriff’s Office, along with the medical staff at Rady Children’s Hospital who nursed the victim back to health all stepped in to restore her health and safety. She finally has a chance to blossom without the oppressive abuse of her wicked family members.”
The victim in this case was under the care of her biological uncle, Hughes, and his girlfriend Reynolds when the abuse occurred. The couple also had three other children in the home. In July 2025, the young victim, whose body was covered with bruises, scars, burn marks and a black eye, escaped her abusers and ran to a neighbor’s home where she asked if she could live with him because she was being beaten and abused.
The neighbors immediately notified authorities.
When Sheriff’s Deputies arrived, they observed the girl, who was malnourished and covered in visible injuries. She disclosed that her uncle had tied her hands behind her back with a zip tie, then tripped her, causing a large black eye. She said the defendants would cut her hair with a pocketknife, burn her with vape pens, starve her and force her to drink dirty toilet water. In addition, she was forced to hold her urine to the point of wetting herself and then would be forced to clean it up using her tongue. She would be forced to sleep on the floor and would often be chained to a treadmill using a cable lock.