An Elmhurst man is facing 32 years to life in prison after he was found guilty on Aug. 6 of beating his 3-year-old son to death inside the shelter for homeless families in the old Pan American Hotel in November 2022.
Shaquan Butler, 29, was convicted of depraved indifference murder, assault, and other related crimes for causing the death of 3-year-old Shaquan Jr., and for separate injuries inflicted on the boy’s younger brother. A jury of his peers in Queens Supreme Court deliberated for just three hours before reaching a guilty verdict.
According to the charges and trial testimony, on Nov. 13, 2022, Butler resided in the Boulevard Family Shelter located in the converted Pan Am hotel at 79-00 Queens Blvd. with his son, two additional children, and the mother of the kids. At around 7:40 p.m., the children’s mother called 911 to report that Shaquan Jr. was not breathing. Responding to the 911 call, the FDNY and police from the 110th Precinct in Elmhurst arrived at the shelter, and EMTs found the youngster naked on the floor of the apartment, unconscious and unresponsive, covered in cold water with visible bruises covering his body, including three large contusions on his head. The child was rushed to Elmhurst Hospital Center, where he was pronounced dead. Butler claimed his son had choked while eating, and he had attempted to save him.
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined the youngster died from blunt force injuries to his torso. He had three lacerations to his liver and substantial internal bleeding. Shaquan Jr. also suffered nearly two dozen fractures to his ribs, including some that appeared to have been sustained anywhere from a few days to a week prior to his murder. There was no evidence that his airway had been obstructed, and his stomach was empty when he was killed. Medical examination of his 2-year-old brother revealed malnutrition and physical injuries consistent with child abuse.
“At 3 years old, Shaquan Butler Jr. has 23 fractures to his ribs, three lacerations to his liver, bruises from head to toe, along with other injuries and an empty stomach,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said.
Trial openings began on July 21, and summations took place on Aug. 6. Queens Supreme Court Justice Ushir Pandit-Durant, who presided at trial, indicated that she would sentence Butler on Sept. 3.
“His father is now facing 32 years to life in prison for his murder and the assault of the boy’s brother,” Katz said. “I want to thank the ADAs and all the agencies involved in this prosecution.”
Butler has an extensive rap sheet, including 28 prior arrests for hate crimes, petit larceny, menacing, gang assaults, inciting to riot, and burglary, according to the NYPD.
