A Woodhaven man faces up to 15 years in prison for allegedly shaking his infant son to death last week, then lying to detectives to cover up the horrific crime, prosecutors announced on Friday.
Luis Sanchez, 28, of 88th Street appeared in Queens Criminal Court on Aug. 22 for arraignment on charges of second-degree manslaughter and endangering the welfare of a child. He’s now being held in jail on $150,000 bail, according to acting Queens District Attorney John Ryan.
“The victim in this case was an innocent baby whose life was cut short a mere two months after his birth,” Ryan said on Aug. 23. “As a father, the defendant was responsible for caring and maintaining the safety and well-being of his young son. Instead, he is accused of violently shaking the infant to death. He now faces a lengthy period of time behind bars for his allegedly senseless and brutal actions.”
Prosecutors said that first responders were called to Sanchez’s home at 12:20 p.m. on 88th Street. When they arrived at the scene, they found Sanchez’s seven-week-old son unconscious and unresponsive.
Sanchez allegedly told emergency personnel that his infant son appeared healthy before he found him unconscious. Paramedics brought the boy, whose name was not provided, to Jamaica Hospital and, later, to Cohen Children’s Medical Center, where he died on Aug. 19.
According to law enforcement sources, an autopsy found that the infant sustained extensive hemorrhages to his eye and head, and had several rib fractures which were in various stages of healing. The injuries were consistent with abusive head trauma caused by repetitive, violent shaking, prosecutors noted.
During questioning, Sanchez allegedly told officers from the 102nd Precinct that his infant became injured after accidentally slipping from his arms while trying to prevent his 14-month-old son from falling off a couch.
The medical examiner’s autopsy debunked that story, prosecutors said, indicating that the infant’s injuries could not have been sustained as a result of the fall which Sanchez described to police.
Sanchez was ordered to return to court on Sept. 20, and faces up to 15 years behind bars if convicted.
