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Mom accused of burning son's hand on stove says he killed animal, hit kids

Miriam Rebolledo admits not knowing how to discipline 'rebellious' son

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – When Miriam Rebolledo walked out of Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on Thursday night, she told reporters that she was not the "bad mother" she was being made out to be. 

Rebolledo is facing a charge of aggravated child abuse after she was accused of placing her 6-year-old son's hand on a hot stove. She did it after a school employee called to say he had been hitting other children at school Wednesday. 

"My son is so rebellious that he got to the point to kill an animal. What am I supposed to do? Stay home without doing anything for my son?" Rebolledo said in Spanish.

The 29-year-old mother, who was arrested Thursday, said she was being judged unfairly as a bad mother because people don't know the whole truth. She said she doesn't want her son to grow up to be a convicted felon, or to be the type of man who would grab his wife and punch her.

In court, Miami-Dade County Judge Ariana Fajardo Orshan told Rebolledo what she had done was not proper parenting. 

"Maybe in Colombia it's OK to take the child and put their burning hand on a stove, but in the United States, it's not," the judge said. 

Rebolledo admitted to police officers that she was overwhelmed and didn't know how else to discipline her troubled son. 

"You have the cutest son. I met him this morning," Fajardo said. "He is very sad that he has to go to foster care."


About the Authors
Andrew Perez headshot

Andrew Perez is a South Florida native who joined the Local 10 News team in May 2014.

Andrea Torres headshot

The Emmy Award-winning journalist joined the Local 10 News team in 2013. She wrote for the Miami Herald for more than 9 years and won a Green Eyeshade Award.

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