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Woodhaven man indicted on manslaughter charges in death of infant son: DA

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A Woodhaven man has been indicted on manslaughter and other charges in the 2019 death of his seven-week-old son, according to Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz.

Luis Sanchez, 30, was arraigned Wednesday before Queens Supreme Court Justice Ushir Pandit-Durant on a two-count indictment charging him with manslaughter in the first degree and endangering the welfare of a child.

According to the charges, police responded to a 911 call at the family’s home on 88th Street on Aug. 16, 2019, where first responders discovered the unresponsive body of a seven-week-old baby boy named Mason. The infant’s lips were blue and he was not breathing.

Medical technicians rushed the baby to Jamaica Hospital, but he died three days later. An autopsy performed on the victim showed he had sustained extensive retinal and subdural hemorrhages in addition to having several rib fractures that were at various stages of healing, according to the charges.

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 son from falling off a couch.

However, according to the charges, doctors determined that the infant’s injuries were consistent with abusive head trauma, including violent shaking. The medical examiner further confirmed these findings in the autopsy that indicated that the baby’s cause of death was abusive head trauma.

“A baby was left in his father’s care, where he should have been safe from harm,” Katz said. “Instead, the baby died of injuries consistent with abusive head trauma caused by violent repetitive shaking, and the defendant is in custody facing serious criminal charges.”

Sanchez was ordered to return to court on Aug. 2, If convicted, he faces up to 15 years in prison.