A toddler was hospitalized with 'horrific' bruises in 2018. Now his babysitter is in jail.

NORWICH — During an emotionally battering court proceeding on Thursday, a Taftville man was sentenced to nearly a decade in prison for his role in a child injury case that left a New London toddler so severely bruised it seemed to shake the presiding judge.

As 31-year-old Edward Quinones Jr. sat inside Norwich Superior Court, his hands shaking as he waited to be sentenced, Judge Angelica Papastavros said the photos of the 3-year-old child the defendant was accused of assaulting – or at least not seeking care for – were among the worst she’d seen.

“I’ve been in this business a long time and I’ve seen horrific crime scene photos of autopsies and pictures of injuries both as a judge and a criminal defense attorney,” she said. “I have to say, these are some of the worst injuries I’ve ever seen. These are not the pictures of a child being left in the care of an adult. These injuries could only have been inflicted by a monster.”

Papastavros sentenced Quinones to nine years in prison followed by three years of probation on the charges of risk of injury to a child and cruelty to persons he previously pleaded guilty to under the Alford Doctrine.

An additional initial charge of second-degree assault was dropped as part of the plea deal, the victim’s family said.

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Under the Alford Doctrine, a defendant may disagree with the state’s version of a crime, but is unwilling to take a case to trial and possibly receive a harsher sentence.

Quinones’ sentence was nearly double that of one he would have received if he’d accepted a 2020 plea offer in the case which called for his serving five years in prison.

What police, family reported the night of Sept. 17, 2018

Quinones, of Terrance Avenue, was the babysitter for the victim on Sept. 17, 2018 when the child was brought later to an emergency room at the Pequot Medical Center in Groton with bruises and other injuries across his “head, face, arms, torso, genitals and legs,” police said.

The child was transported to the Yale-New Haven Hospital where he spent a week, his family said.

Several of the victim’s family members spoke on Thursday, pleading with Papastavros to order the maximum possible prison sentence for Quinones. The child’s grandmother, Mary White, recalled entering the emergency department that mid-September day four years ago.

“When we walked into the room, the shock stopped me in my tracks,” she said. “He had bruises all over his body, but it's obvious he took the brunt of the beatings to his face. One eye was swollen shut. The rest of his face and ears were covered in bruises.”

White said the child has still not fully recovered his hearing and the family worries about other long-term effects.

White and other family members excoriated Quinones, alleging he beat the boy with a broom.

Andrew Souza, the child’s uncle, said through sobs his nephew underwent an “absolutely horrific event,” both physically and mentally.

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“It makes me sick to my stomach to even think about what could have been happening at the time of the assault,” Souza said. “I can remember being with him the first night (at the hospital) and the screaming and crying my nephew was doing was unbearable.”

Assistant State’s Attorney Carlos Cruz said text messages sent by Quinones indicate the defendant was caring for the child at about the time the bruises occurred.

“At the minimum, there was a slow response (by Quinones),” he said. “This is a severe and disturbing case that, at the very minimum, deserves a jail sentence.”

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The child’s father, Wendell Soctomah, said he’s been forever changed by the incident and wondered if his son, who loved cars and games, had been crying out for him when injured. He recalled his bruise-covered son grasping his hand in the hospital.

“For four years, I’ve haven’t been able to sleep,” he said. “(Quinones) destroyed the life of everyone. The rage I feel for this man, I’ve had to put that all aside and trust the court to do the right thing.”

Here's what Quinones' defense said

Quinones’ father spoke on behalf of his son and said, at most, the defendant was perhaps guilty of not informing authorities about the boy’s injuries in a timely manner.

Quinones, flanked by his lawyer, William Gerace – who requested a “moderate period of incarceration” for his client - told the court he was not responsible for the child’s injuries and said he was “told to plead guilty” to the charges.

“I’m not a physical person and all the bruises were present (before),” he said through tears. “I did not touch that child. He did not leave my house in that condition.”

At one point, Quinones said he recalled his dog scratching the victim on the day of the incident, a statement that prompted an incredulous Papastavros to order him to look at a photo of the boy’s injuries.

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“Do these look like they were inflicted by a dog?” she asked.

As Papastavros read out her sentence, Quinones looked pleadingly up to his lawyer before placing his head in his hands.

“You were entrusted by the family,” the judge said, raising her voice. “This was a breach of trust.”

In the court lobby, Soctomah said he was satisfied with the sentence.

“As long as he serves the whole nine years,” he said.

John Penney can be reached at jpenney@norwichbulletin.com or at (860) 857-6965.

This article originally appeared on The Bulletin: Taftville man gets prison sentence in case of injured New London child