A young man accused in the death of an infant he was baby-sitting told authorities that he struck the baby because the boy was acting feminine.
Pedro Jones, 20, of South Hampton was taking care of his girlfriend’s child on Sunday night on the Shinnecock Indian Reservation on Long Island. Authorities said Jones lives on the reservation but is not a member of the tribe and is not the baby’s father.
‘I was trying to make him act like a boy instead of a little girl. I never struck that kid that hard before,’ Jones allegedly told authorities, according to WPIX TV in New York.
New York state police said Jones hit the infant with closed fists and grabbed him by the neck. The baby was in cardiac arrest by the time paramedics arrived at the scene, according to PIX 11 News.
[pagebreak]
Jones was charged with first-degree manslaughter and pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Monday at Southhampton Town Justice Court. He is in Suffolk County Jail without bail.
