Jury finds boyfriend guilty of physical abuse of autistic child in Wasco County
THE DALLES, Ore., Dec. 19, 2025 — A Wasco County jury found Edwin Diaz II, 30, formerly of Wasco County guilty on three counts stemming from the abuse of a 6-year-old autistic girl in November 2022, according to Wasco County District Attorney Kara Davis.
The jury convicted Diaz of second-degree assault, third-degree assault and criminal mistreatment following deliberations that extended into the evening on Thursday, Dec. 18.
The verdict was returned shortly after 8 p.m.
Second-degree assault is a Measure 11 offense under Oregon law, carrying a mandatory minimum sentence of 70 months in prison without eligibility for early release or sentence reduction.
However, Davis is requesting that Diaz II serves consecutive sentences for each of the crimes amounting to a maximum of 98 months in prison or 8 years and two months, according to her sentencing memorandum.
Prosecutors said the charges arose from two separate incidents in which Diaz caused multiple severe injuries to the nonverbal child while he was in a relationship with the child’s mother. Evidence presented at trial showed a pattern of abuse. In the first incident, Diaz told investigators the girl was injured when a door fell on her during a game of hide-and-seek, but medical findings did not match that explanation. Days later, after a violent argument between Diaz and the child’s mother, the girl was found to have a broken femur, prosecutors said.
Diaz told an interviewer in a release assessment that he lived in Florida where he taught “MMA classes on weekdays and evenings,” according to the report.
“The victim is doing well and is a happy and healthy little girl,” Davis said. “Her mother showed incredible amounts of fortitude in facing the defendant and testifying during this trial.”
The district attorney’s office credited the Wasco County Sheriff’s Office — including Detectives Williams and Hall — for investigative assistance, as well as CARES NW for an assessment that helped explain the pattern of abuse to jurors. Davis also thanked the jury for its careful consideration of difficult evidence.
Diaz was taken into custody following the verdict and will remain jailed pending sentencing before Wasco County Circuit Court Judge Marion Weatherford, scheduled for Dec. 30. He will remain at NORCOR jail in The Dalles until the hearing.
The case was prosecuted by Davis and Deputy District Attorney Caleb Berthelsen.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, resources are available. Locally, Haven can be reached at 541-296-1662. The National Domestic Violence Hotline is available at 1-800-799-7233.
