A Long Island man has been accused of killing his infant daughter, the Nassau County police said on Thursday.
The man, Marlon Rabanales-Pretzantzin, 20, was charged with second-degree murder during an arraignment in Nassau County District Court. He pleaded not guilty, and could face life in prison if convicted.
The girl, Liseyda Rabanales-Barrios, was 2 months old when she died, the police said. Emergency medical workers arrived at a home in Inwood, on Long Island, on March 7 after an emergency call about an infant choking.
At a news conference, Stephen Fitzpatrick, a detective captain with the Nassau County Police Department, told reporters that Mr. Rabanales-Pretzantzin was accused of having thrown his daughter and hitting her several times around her head. Her injuries included internal bleeding and fractures to her spine and ribs, the officer said.
The criminal complaint filed by prosecutors accuses Mr. Rabanales-Pretzantzin of slapping Liseyda, punching her stomach, shaking her and pressing his weight against her chest with his fist.
Liseyda was taken to a hospital, then transferred to another where she died.
Detective Captain Fitzpatrick said that Mr. Rabanales-Pretzantzin had admitted to injuring the baby because “he felt the child wasn’t his” and because “he did not respect or want that child.”
A lawyer for Mr. Rabanales-Pretzantzin, Mindy Plotkin, could not immediately be reached for comment.
Judge Lisa LoCurto denied bail, and Mr. Rabanales-Pretzantzin was being held in jail.