Hartford man whose 7-week-old daughter died from brain bleed found guilty of manslaughter
A Hartford father was found guilty of manslaughter for his involvement in the death of his 7-week-old daughter in 2018, according to the State’s Attorney’s office.
Edwin Babilonia, 28, of Hartford, was convicted of second-degree manslaughter and risk of injury to a minor on Sept. 29. The charges stem from the death of his newborn daughter, Emily Babilonia, in May 2018, the State’s Attorney’s office said.
In the early hours of May 24, 2018, Emily woke up crying and Babilonia and the baby’s mother, Ashley Perez-Rivera, spent hours trying to console her, according to court testimony, the State’s Attorney’s office said. Eventually, Babilonia took the baby into the bathroom and attempted to console her. He allegedly then shook the baby and caused her to have a massive brain bleed and spinal cord injury.
The mother said she heard water running through the partially open door, and heard choking and gurgling sounds, and then heard Babilonia telling the child “to keep calm and shut up numerous times,” the police report says. The mother said she heard a thud “similar to the sound of someone’s body striking a surface,” the report says.
Hartford police were called to Connecticut Children’s Medical Center on May 24, 2018, for a report of an infant in acute distress from suspected abuse. Emily Babilonia was in the pediatric intensive care unit with injuries that would claim her life days later.
Emily Babilonia died on May 28, 2018 from her injuries, the state’s attorney’s office said. While authorities have previously said the baby was 6 weeks old, the state’s attorney’s statement said she was 7 weeks old.
Doctors found bruises on her arms, abdomen and neck, bleeding inside her skull, six left rib fractures and five on the right side and a fracture to her left clavicle.
The medical examiner determined the baby’s cause of death was acute and chronic blunt injuries with brain hemorrhages and rib fractures and determined the manner of death to be homicide.
Police interviewed both parents and subsequently arrested them on May 25, 2018 for their involvement in her death. Perez-Rivera pleaded guilty to risk of injury and criminally negligent homicide, the State’s Attorney’s office said.
