Friday, November 2, 2007

Babysitter Accused in Death of Infant

Demelin Castillo, 24, of North Plainfield, was charged with second-degree endangering the welfare of a child and was arrested at the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office Thursday, Prosecutor Wayne Forrest said. The baby was pronounced dead at about 12:23 p.m. Thursday at Muhlenberg Regional Medical Center in Plainfield.

On Thursday, police responded to a 911 call from the North Plainfield home of Demelin Castillo. When police and emergency personnel arrived at the home, they said they found the baby to be unresponsive and lying face down on a futon mattress on the floor. He was wearing a jacket that police said would have constricted his movement. (Read More.)

Dresser Falls, Killing Child
The boy was supposed to be napping with his brother and sister. The three are triplets. When the nanny went to check on them, she found the boy under the dresser, not breathing. (Read More.)

Shaken-Baby Lawyers May Clash Again
After mistrial, the DA's office and the defense prepare for a retrial.
Both sides in the case of a nanny who is accused of shaking a Roseville baby and causing fatal brain injuries indicated Thursday they are prepared for a second trial. The case ended in a mistrial Wednesday after a jury deadlocked at 10-2 for the conviction of Veronica Martinez Salcedo. Juries must vote 12-0 to reach a verdict in criminal cases. (Read More.)

Ashland Man Gets 30-Year Sentence in Sexual Abuse Case
Thirty years in prison, for a Montana man who abused a toddler left in his care by her foster mother. A federal judge this week sentenced Ricky L. Sandcrane under terms required by a law that toughened penalties for sex crimes involving children. (Read More.)