Jacob N. Maloberti, Lauren E. Maloberti, and Landon Maloberti (Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office) A mother and father in Pennsylvania tortured their adopted 5-year-old son repeatedly, on numerous occasions, until he died from myriad injuries suffered during his brief life, a doctor testified at a preliminary hearing in Westmoreland County on Tuesday. As a result of that testimony, Lauren Maloberti, 34, and Jacob Maloberti, 33, will remain in jail pending their trial, District Judge Charles Conway ruled, according to a report by The Tribune-Review . The couple, who hail from Delmont — a tiny borough on the far-flung outer edges of the Pittsburgh suburbs due east — stand accused of multiple felonies over the Feb. 7 death of Landon Maloberti. Lauren Maloberti is charged with one count of murder in the first degree, as well as one count each of criminal homicide, endangering the welfare of children, criminal conspiracy, and two counts of aggravated assault of a child. Jacob Maloberti, a corrections officer at Fayette State Correctional Center, is not charged with murder. He faces the same five lesser-but-related charges as his wife. “Landon was subjected to torture,” Dr. Michelle Clayton, a physician and child advocate, reportedly testified. “This was ongoing physical abuse, emotional abuse and psychological abuse.” As Law&Crime previously reported , the Malobertis were arrested in late July, the culmination of a multiple-agency investigation that began on the evening of Monday, Jan. 30, 2023, when they brought their unconscious son to AHN Hempfield Neighborhood Hospital. He was later taken to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center due to the severity of his condition, according to the criminal complaint obtained by Pittsburgh NBC affiliate WPXI . Medical staff at the hospital allegedly told investigators that when the couple arrived at the facility, they appeared to show “no urgency” and said the child was just “wobbly from COVID a month prior.” But it wasn’t due to the pandemic. UMPC doctors reportedly found that Landon Maloberti had recently suffered three separate bleeds in his brain, describing his brain as “obliterated.” “One of the doctors at UPMC physician noted that Landon had multiple episodes of physical abuse in combination with at least two types of emotional maltreatment,” Westmoreland District Attorney Nicole W. Ziccarelli said at a press conference announcing the arrests. “His injuries caused substantial pain at the time they were inflicted with impairment of function including inability to stand, inability to eat or drink, and loss of consciousness.” “Landon had blunt force trauma to his head and neck, blunt force trauma to his torso, blunt force trauma to his extremities,” the prosecutor continued last month. “Landon also had prolonged and intensive medical interventions prior to his death and multiple bruises in different stages of healing.” The state’s expert witness echoed those allegations on Tuesday. “The multitude of injuries could not be explained by his falling,” Clayton’s testimony reportedly continued. “There was an application of violent forces to his head. He was subjected to emotional abuse and a neglect of his mental health needs.” Lauren Maloberti allegedly claimed the boy fell early Sunday morning on Jan. 29 but that he initially appeared uninjured. He only later exhibited worse and worse symptoms that finally prompted the couple to take him to the hospital late the next day. Prosecutors disputed the mother’s story as well on Tuesday. “Lauren had exclusive custody of Landon when he was injured,” Assistant District Attorney Judi Petrush reportedly told the court. “There is no accidental explanation offered to explain his massive head trauma. Mr. Maloberti came home in the afternoon and observed the child, put him in a shower and tried to feed him while Landon was covered with bruises all over his body.” Other children in the house reportedly told investigators that their dead brother was smacked by his mother, sprayed with water, ignored and isolated, forced to drink from a toilet, disciplined more than anyone else, and monitored by a camera. By Feb. 5, the boy was brain dead, Clayton testified. He was formally pronounced dead two days later. Meanwhile, on Feb. 1, the Malobertis started a GoFundMe which read: “Our precious baby boy went unresponsive.” They ultimately raised just over $5,000. In the wake of their criminal charges , the crowdfunding website disabled the page and promised to honor all donor refund requests out of the company’s pocket, a spokesperson told Law&Crime. The couple is next slated to appear in court for their arraignment on Oct. 18. Jerry Lambe contributed to this report. Have a tip we should know? [email protected]