A 29-year-old Indiana man, Eliasard Moneus, has been sentenced to 92 years in prison for the murder of his 3-month-old son, Jacob Moneus, whom he drowned in a bucket of laundry detergent. The baby was placed face down in the bucket, and the lid was sealed, leaving the infant to suffocate and die.
Moneus was convicted of murder and attempted murder, the latter charge tied to a violent assault on his wife following their son’s death.
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On Tuesday, Tippecanoe Superior Court Judge Steve Meyer sentenced Moneus to 62 years for murder and 30 years for attempted murder, to be served consecutively. Prosecutors shared disturbing details of the case, describing it as one of the most gruesome they had encountered.
“A father put his 3-month-old son face down in a bucket of laundry detergent, sealed the lid, left his son to die, and then went to the next room and viciously attacked the baby’s mother,” said Deputy Prosecutor Elyse Madigan.
An autopsy later confirmed that Jacob died from asphyxia after inhaling about 100 milliliters of detergent.
Moneus reportedly told investigators his actions were meant to “teach his wife a lesson,” adding that he “didn’t care” about the consequences.
After murdering his son, Moneus launched a brutal attack on his wife, Edlie, striking her with a tire iron or wrench and fracturing her skull. Following the assault, he fled the home with their baby.
Police were alerted after Edlie was hospitalized and reported the attack. Officers searched the couple’s home, uncovering signs of violence but no trace of the baby. Moneus was arrested the next day and admitted to the assault, but initially claimed he didn’t know Jacob’s whereabouts.
More than a month later, on August 11, 2024, authorities conducted another search of the residence. In the kitchen, next to a trash can, they found an orange bucket sealed with a snap-on lid. Inside was Jacob’s body, submerged in a dark liquid later identified as laundry detergent.
The autopsy confirmed Jacob died from asphyxia due to immersion in the detergent.
During the sentencing, Moneus, who speaks French Creole, offered an apology through an interpreter. But Judge Meyer showed no leniency.
“You killed your own child. I can’t think of a worse crime,” Meyer stated. “This crime is unimaginable.”
The case has devastated the local community. Edlie, who survived the horrific attack, now faces a long recovery while mourning her infant son.
Moneus will spend the rest of his life behind bars. He is not eligible for parole until completing his full 92-year sentence—effectively ensuring he will never be released.
