Hartford

Hartford Father Found Guilty of Manslaughter in Death of 7-Week-Old Daughter

The father of a 7-week-old baby girl who died in 2018 has been found guilty of manslaughter, according to the Division of Criminal Justice.

State authorities said 28-year-old Edwin Babilonia is being charged for the death of his daughter, Emily, in May of 2018. His daughter suffered injuries including a massive brain bleed and spinal cord injury.

Edwin was 23 years old when the incident happened. The baby's mother, then-20-year-old Ashley Perez-Rivera, was also arrested.

The investigation started when police responded to Connecticut Children’s Medical Center on the day of the incident to investigate. Early court paperwork shows that Perez-Rivera told police that Edwin dropped the baby, but trial testimony revealed that Edwin took his crying child into the bathroom where he "recklessly shook" her while trying to console her.

Edwin initially told officials that Perez-Rivera had abused the baby on several occasions, but police confronted him about inconsistencies in the statements and he confessed.

Emily passed away in the hospital multiple days after the incident.

Officials said neither parent had a prior record and that officials from the Department of Children and Families (DCF) said they had no prior involvement with the family.

Both Edwin and Perez-Rivera were interviewed and arrested for their involvement in the death of their daughter. Perez-Rivera pleaded guilty to charges including criminally negligent homicide and risk of injury.

Edwin's attorney previously said his client claims the children were having trouble sleeping and the injuries were accidental. He's been taken into custody and has a sentencing date scheduled for Dec. 9.

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