No Greater Betrayal - The Murder of Mason Dominguez

[Shaun]

Everyone knows that Las Vegas is the Wedding Capital of the World ..there is a wedding in Las Vegas every 4 minutes

[John]

What you may not know, is that it’s also the domestic violence capital of the world.. there is an incident of domestic violence every 17 minutes.

[Shaun]

Join us as we explore the horrifying reality of domestic violence in the city of Las Vegas and it’s lasting effects on survivors, their families, and the community

Introduction: ~5 min

[SHAUN]
Hi and welcome to the very first episode of Sins and Survivors:  a las vegas true crime podcast that examines true crime cases in the Las Vegas area with a particular focus on the crime of domestic violence.

I am your host, Shaun, and with me as always is my co-host, the one and only John. 

[JOHN]

I am the only John in the room.

[SHAUN]

Very True, so JOHN - you are the one who came up with the idea for this podcast, so will you tell us a little bit about how you came up with the idea?

[JOHN]

• True Crime and Paranormal Podcast Festival in August run by Lanie
• We noticed that there was a common thread in so many of the stories and cases we heard about and we’ve heard about for years now - many have the aspect of domestic violence
• Shaun’s background in that area
  • our interest in true crime
  • Interest in helping victims, educating victims
• I saw an opportunity to fill that void 

[Shaun]

Yes, and I really wanted to press us to produce our first episode and get it out this month because it is Domestic Violence Awareness Month & it was important to me that we launch now. 

And I know that was very ambitious, and I am so grateful that we had the help from our friends at the PNW Haunts and Homicides podcast, True Crime Stories with Lanie Hobbs, all the podcasts we chatted with at the True Crime and Paranormal Podcast Festival. 

And, I am grateful for what I was able to learn so far with the True Crime Research Training Course founded by Haley and Andrea. 

[JOHN]

Yes!

• Super big shout out to Caitlyn and Cassie from PNW Haunts and homicides, Lanie Hobbes, and of course Haley and Andrea for all their help and guidance getting this off the ground
  • Research methods
  • Search sites
• Other podcasts that inspired us with their focus on victim focused true crime and empathetic / Ethical  / helpful TC podcasts
  • True consequences
  • Survivor squad
  • Navigating Advocacy
  • Voices for Justice
  • So many more

[SHAUN]

That’s a great segway into us introducing ourselves so I’ll go first… 

Hi, I’m Shaun, my first internship working with victims of crime was during college so I would say, at least for the last … 25 years I’ve been advocating for crime victims. I graduated from City University school of law in 2004 - while I was in law school I was able to assist victims and survivors of Domestic Violence – but after law school i decided I wanted to work more in crime prevention and addressing factors that either cause crime or correlate with crime, such as poverty, mental health, substance use disorders. I currently work as a grant writer & policy writer. And, I think you came up with a great concept here, and I’m excited to see where these conversations take us.

[JOHN]

John’s Introduction and Bio

• I’m your cohost John
• LV 12 years
• Technology professional for about 25 years
• Always had a side interest in criminology.
• Became more interested in true crime with Serial
• I was always bothered by anything predatory or exploitative of victims or their families
• I love the ethical true crime movement
• I’ve studied Martial Arts since the 80’s, and more recently Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in New York mostly
  • Worked with many women studying BJJ who all said the same thing
  • Self defense

[Shaun]

Awesome yes, I’m looking forward to the tech corner segments over the season as well. 

Let’s dive into our first case. 

When you told a friend of ours about our concept for this podcast, one case came to mind for him immediately. He was like, Are you going to cover the Mason Dominguez case? 

And, to be honest I didn’t anticipate covering it so soon, but originally the trial would have started earlier this week. Given some of the facts of this case, I’m surprised it hasn’t had more attention nationally. This is a case more people need to know about – and horrifically has to do with the murder of a 5 year old boy. 

[JOHN]

• Mason Dominguez
• Important to talk about the amazing little boy Mason was before we get close to talking about what happened to him
• Lets talk about Mason

Background on Mason Dominguez (3 minutes):

Mason was born on October 3, 2017, so he would have turned 7 earlier this month. 

Mason has one older sister, who is about 2 years older than him. We are withholding her name because she’s a minor. He also has two half siblings COUSINS who were also living in the house. 

Mason’s Father - Elijah or “Eli” tragically passed away from pneumonia in 2021, when Mason was about 4 years old. They left behind a huge family of aunts, uncles, and grandparents who miss them every day, and all of whom will never be the same.

Some of the things his family has shared about him

• He enjoyed Basketball 
• Swimming 
• He was just Fearless - loved to jump into the pool
• Loved Paw Patrol and Sonic the Hedgehog
• He created sweet and silly nicknames for his family members
• Very bright, at age 3, knew all his letters and numbers
• Knew how to make the sign for “I love you” which his dad had taught him

[SHAUN}

And this description of Mason from his family’s go fund me:

This sweet child had a precious little voice, an upbeat attitude, and a laugh that would melt your heart. If you were blessed to meet him, you knew he was this sensitive soul who could do no wrong. Those big brown eyes and golden curls would captivate anyone.

Introduction to the Crime (5 minutes):

[JOHN]

On Sins and Survivors we focus on cases with an aspect of Domestic violence, so let’s discuss what led up to Mason’s murder

1. As mentioned, Mason’s father died in 2021. According to Mason’s mother, she and her two kids moved in with Brandon Toseland (out alleged and charged murderer) a few months later. Toseland was a friend of the family who offered his mom comfort after his passing. 
2. From the Grand Jury Testimony Documents.. We have nearly a 100 pages of transcript where Mason’s mom describes how this all came about
   1. at first, the relationship was very smooth
   2. over time, Brandon became even more controlling and possessive. 
   3. He was controlling how she spent her money, where she could go, accusing her of cheating. 

[Shaun]

1. He started taking her phone away. 
2. He then started separating Mason from her. Isolating him from her. 
3. In September of 2021, he made her withdraw him from preschool. 
4. At the time, she was working a full time job, while Toseland stayed home and cared for the kids and his other 2 biological kids from a previous relationship. He had joint custody with their mom. 

[JOHN]

• Toughen him up.. She hated when she babied him

• The home turned violent

AND then it turned violent. 

Mason’s mom has testified to the grand jury that Toseland began shoving her around at first; then it progressed to chokeholds. 

She discovered lacerations on Mason. And she said she confronted Toseland about it, and he apologized and said he took it too far, stating he had hit Mason with a spatula. 

[Shaun]

According to the family’s attorney: "Mr. Toseland's house was fortified with locks, window alarms, motion sensors, video cameras, gates, keyhole entrances to every room — needed a key to go in or out — and the windows were covered," "Mr. Toseland took over the victim mother's social media, car keys, and phone, contacted her work via text message to quit her job in December 2021."

[JOHN]

On December 10 – Mason said he wasn’t feeling well. So Brandon took him into the master bedroom and locked the door. That was the last time his mother saw him.

When Brandon came out of the room and knocked the Mom to the floor and put her in a chokehold. (All of this is from the mom’s grand jury testimony.)

[Shaun]

On December 17, she confronted him again about Mason, and he restrained her with duct tape, put his hand over her nose and mouth and said Mason was dead, and he didn’t want it reported bc he’d be charged with murder. 

 She said from that point forward “I thought he was going to kill me so I needed to comply with whatever he wanted.”

He started barricading her in a bedroom, keeping her separated from her daughter. She stated that he would handcuff her in the car whenever they went anywhere; he took her phone. 

“He would tell me, you know, ‘I’m so desperate right now and murder is murder, one body or ten bodies doesn’t matter at this point,’” she recalled. “And he Googled missing people in the U.S. He showed me that over 500,000 people go missing and (are) never found, and he told me that he can cut me up into a million pieces and they’d never find me.”

[JOHN] 

Held captive, living in fear for months, but she looks for her opportunity to escape. 

Her daughter is still going to school, so she is able to write small notes on a pad of sticky notes and a pen she found in the car. and on the night of February 21 2022, she is with her daughter long enough that she can tell her daughter to sneak the notes in her sock and give them to her teacher. 

The morning of February 22, her very brave daughter gives the note to her teacher - the note states that the mom is being held captive and has no idea where her younger son is. 

[Shaun]

The teacher right away calls the police and they respond to the house by 10am. They surveil it for a short while, and they see Toseland and the mom leaving the house. 

Good idea by the police

Officers when they pulled him over discovered handcuffs inside vehicle; where Mason’s mom was cuffed to the seat or steering wheel

The police search the house and discover a large rectangular hole in the process of being dug in the backyard of the house, about 8 ft deep - and they sadly, tragically, discover Mason’s body concealed in a freezer in the garage of the house. 

Toseland is arrested at this time. 

The autopsy later would reveal that Mason had suffered multiple internal injuries, including blunt force trauma to his abdomen, damage to his small intestines, extensive bruising, and a bite mark to his left arm. Death was ruled a homicide due to blunt force trauma. 

[JOHN]

Brandon Toseland

• Born 1987, Age 36 - Unclear on exact age because reporting differs
• Criminal History - Varied and long

Criminal History - Toseland’s past accusations/convictions for DV

• Sep 2013 Battery Constituting Domestic Violence - Allegedly punched his sister in the face in front of his sister’s baby
• Dec 2018 Battery Constituting Domestic Violence - Convicted of punching his then girlfriend in the face, 90 day sentence, anger management

Additional Criminal History

• Found guilty of speeding & DUI 2010 & 2011, Drugs and alcohol 
• Driving with a suspended license

Marriage and kids

• 2 children from a previous relationship with a woman named Marylee Ruiz (she is also Mason’s Aunt / Elijah’s sister)

The family dynamic is very complicated

Additional Cases against Toseland

• Sued for child support 2018 by Marilee Ruiz
• Sued for child custody by MariLee

CHARGES:

12 felony counts

• Murder of Mason
• Child Abuse, Neglect, or Endangerment Resulting in Substantial Bodily Harm x3
• Child Abuse, Neglect, or Endangerment x2 
• First Degree Kidnapping of a Minor
• First Degree Kidnapping x2
• Battery Constituting Domestic Violence - Strangulation x3

– He was initially charged with 10 counts, but the Daughter also gave testimony to the grand jury that resulted in a superseding indictment in September 2022 – she described being strangled by Toseland by his arm, and by a vacuum cord. 

The mom has not been charged with any crimes

[Shaun]

Toseland is currently being held without bond at the Clark County Detention Center. He’s pleaded not guilty. 

The Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for this case. 

The trial is set to begin in May of 2024 – in about 6 months from now. 

The attorney for Mason’s mom and sister has stated that both of them are getting the help they need to heal. 

Mason’s mom has sued him in a civil case for wrongful death. 

Toseland has countersued her, claiming they conspired together to conceal Mason’s body. 

I think knowing that, and the other facts of this case, that there are people who have questions about this case. 

When we hear stories about this, it’s very common to place some level of blame or responsibility on the victim, on the survivor,  – asking questions like:

Why didn’t she ____ - FIll in the blank - Why didn’t she leave? Why didn’t she do something sooner? Why didn’t she fight back harder?

When we ask questions like this, we may not mean to - but we are invalidating the experience of survivors. And that impacts the specific survivor directly- making them feel alone while they are coping with trauma, but more broadly, it affects all survivors.

First, it’s likely that survivors have already heard a lot of these comments from their abusers already. Their abusers may tell them they deserve or brought the abuse on themselves by their behavior. 

And secondly, it on some level removes responsibility from the abuser and somewhat excuses their behavior. 

Sometimes this happens when a person has a previous relationship with the abuser, and it is difficult for them to accept the behavior of the abuser… so they find ways to explain or lessen what happened.

And a lot of the time, this comes from our fear. We want to believe that we have some control over the bad things that can happen to us. That if we just act right or make the right choices, nothing bad will happen to us. So when something bad happens, we have to rewrite the story in our mind. 

And if you're a survivor who's heard these messages either directly or on social media – what happened to you wasn’t your fault and your story is worth believing. 

And we as a society should work harder on our empathy because it matters. 

[JOHN] 

Well in this case she was literally prevented… duct taped in December when Tosleand told her that Mason had died.. And then when Toseland was apprehended she was literally handcuffed inside the car

But more generally, its important to check your biases and when you hear yourself thinking this, examine why that is.

(Family Dynamic)

Mason has a large extended family – with aunts and grandparents and cousins who loved him very much. 

There has been reporting about one of his paternal aunts, Marilee, who has 2 children with Toseland. According to an interview with 8news now in las vegas, Marilee is blaming both the mom and Toseland for what happened to Mason – stating that Mason was not protected. 

And since her two biological children were in the house, she doesn’t understand why it went on so long and why no one told her what was happening. 

According to the family, they were told Mason was with his maternal grandma. 

[Shaun]

They are coping with the death of their son and brother, at the same time they are mourning the death of their nephew and grandson. 

Mason’s funeral was held March 19, 2022. 

A celebration of life for Mason was held in April of 2022 in a local park with face painting and games for children. Marilee is quoted as saying “He was so little and he just loved to give hugs, and he was coming into himself,”

[JOHN]

We want to take a moment to express our heartfelt condolences, love and support to Mason’s family and loved ones. And to send them strength as the trial will begin next year. 

Thank you so much for listening. 

Over the season we will be discussing other cases involving domestic violence and will occasionally address other important cases happening in Las Vegas. 

We will discuss cases outside of las vegas where domestic violence has been determined to be a factor. 

Please email us at questions@sinsandsurvivors.com with your case suggestions or suggestions for collaboration. 

[Shaun]

We will plan to bring you updates on Mason’s case as we have them. And please subscribe and keep listening because 

What happens here, happens everywhere.