Lafourche Parish jury finds man guilty of abusing 4-month-old baby, faces up to 40 years in prison
A man from Cut Off is facing decades in prison after being convicted Wednesday of abusing an infant in 2020.
Following a three-day trial and less than an hour of deliberations, a Lafourche Parish jury found Angel Galvan-Paz, 30, guilty of second-degree cruelty to juveniles.
He now faces up to 40 years behind bars, prosecutors said.
The conviction resulted from an investigation in February 2020, when a 4-month-old baby suffered severe injuries. After the child was treated at a medical facility in New Orleans, an expert determined the multiple injuries across the child’s body were caused by child abuse, prosecutors said.
During the investigation, Galvan-Paz and his girlfriend repeatedly lied to law enforcement, state investigators and medical personnel regarding the child’s injuries and gave multiple inconsistent accounts of how they occurred, prosecutors said.
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The child suffered a skull fracture, broken arm and cuts to the liver, prosecutors said.
While testifying during the trial, Galvan-Paz argued the baby’s wounds were accidental. However, the 12-member jury rejected those claims.
The girlfriend was ultimately not charged due to lack of evidence, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors said the guilty verdict sends a message that child abuse won’t be tolerated in the parish.
“I am very appreciative of this jury sacrificing their time to serve on this simple, but emotionally difficult case,” said Assistant District Attorney Jason Chatagnier, who prosecuted the case along with Assistant District Attorney Joe Soignet. “Child Abuse will not be tolerated in Lafourche Parish, and this conviction affirms this position. Obtaining justice in this case would not have been possible without the thorough investigation by law enforcement, and the dedication and expertise of Dr. Paige Culotta. Our children are fortunate to have medical professionals like Dr. Culotta and the staff at Audrey Hepburn Care Center to care for them in these horrific situations.”
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Galvan-Paz's attorney, Thomas Harang of Metairie, declined to comment about the verdict.
A sentencing date has been scheduled for May 5 in the courtroom of state District Judge F. Hugh Larose.
— Staff Writer Dan Copp can be reached at 448-7639 or at dan.copp@houmatoday.com. Follow him on Twitter @DanVCopp.
This article originally appeared on The Courier: Lafourche man convicted of abusing 4-month-old baby
