Lakewood dad admits guilt in death of 3-month-old as prosecutors seek 25 years
LAKEWOOD, NJ — A Lakewood man stood in court Thursday and pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter in the death of his three-month-old daughter, a case prosecutors say began with a frantic call about a baby struggling to breathe and ended with a medical examiner ruling the death a homicide.
Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said Ruben Santiago, 36, entered the guilty plea on Thursday, January 15, before Superior Court Judge Guy P. Ryan in connection with the infant’s death on May 5 in Lakewood Township. Prosecutors said they will seek a 25-year sentence in New Jersey State Prison at sentencing on Wednesday, March 4, with the term subject to the No Early Release Act.
The case dates back to Monday, May 5, when Lakewood Township police officers responded around 7:20 p.m. to a home on Pinehurst Drive for a report of an infant having difficulty breathing. Officers found the baby unresponsive, according to the prosecutor’s office.
Emergency medical personnel provided care at the scene before the infant was taken to Ocean University Medical Center in Brick Township, then transferred to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune. The infant was pronounced dead the next day, Tuesday, May 6, at Jersey Shore University Medical Center, prosecutors said.
A post-mortem examination performed on Wednesday, May 7, by the Ocean County Medical Examiner’s Office determined the cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head, causing skull fracturing and a subdural hematoma, with the manner of death ruled a homicide, according to authorities.
The prosecutor’s office said an investigation by its Major Crime Unit and Special Victims Unit, along with the Lakewood Township Police Department and the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, concluded Santiago and the child’s mother, identified by authorities as Gibson, were responsible for the infant’s death.
Santiago and Gibson were taken into custody on May 7 at Lakewood Township Police Headquarters and transported to the Ocean County Jail, where they have remained detained since that date, the prosecutor’s office said. The charges against Gibson remain pending.
Prosecutor Billhimer credited Chief Trial Attorney Kristin Pressman for handling the case for the state and cited multiple agencies for their roles in the investigation, including the Ocean County Medical Examiner’s Office.
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Key Points
- Ruben Santiago, 36, pleaded guilty Thursday to aggravated manslaughter in the death of his three-month-old daughter in Lakewood Township.
- Prosecutors said they will seek a 25-year prison term at sentencing on March 4 under the No Early Release Act.
- The medical examiner ruled the infant’s death a homicide caused by blunt force trauma to the head, and charges against the child’s mother remain pending.