Queens man sentenced to 18 years in prison for violently shaking his son to death

QUEENS, NEW YORK (BNO NEWS) — A Queens, New York man on Monday was sentenced to 18 years in prison for violently shaking his infant son and causing his death, prosecutors said.

Saul Cortez, 25, pleaded guilty last month to second-degree manslaughter and first-degree assault before the Queens Supreme Court. The defendant admitted that on April 5, 2010, he was home alone with his two-year-old daughter and his eight-month -old son.

That night, the three were at Cortez’ Rockaway Beach Boulevard residence when he became frustrated and angry because the infant son was crying. Cortez repeatedly shook the toddler and forcefully and repeatedly punched him in the back.

When his wife returned home, Cortez was on the phone calling for help and the baby was unresponsive, limp and not breathing. The toddler was admitted to Schneider Children’s Hospital (now Cohen Children’s Medical Center) and diagnosed with Shaken Baby Syndrome.

“Shaken Baby Syndrome is the leading cause of child abuse deaths each year. Its victims are innocent and helpless children, often injured by those charged to protect them,” said Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown. “There are many solutions to deal with a crying baby – shaking is not one of them.”

Subsequent tests revealed that the 8-month-old boy sustained brain injury, subdural bleeding, retinal hemorrhages, laceration to the liver and healing and acute rib fractures.

“In this particular case, the defendant’s actions denied his own son the chance to live out his life. Under the circumstances, the lengthy prison sentence imposed today is more than warranted,” the District Attorney added.

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