Police Say Baby's Cries Led Parents to Kill Him
The police have charged a Harlem couple with their baby's murder. Teresa Flores and Rufino Bedoya-Flores were arrested after police interviews revealed they shook and hit baby Sebastian in an attempt to quiet him.
According to the NY Times, Flores yelled and slapped the baby, and later put a sheet over his face: "She placed her hand over his nose and mouth and pressed a bedsheet hard against his neck." Then Bedoya-Flores hit and shook the child. They thought the baby was asleep when he was silent, but then called the police in the morning when Sebastian was unconscious. The baby was pronounced dead at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital. The ME's office will determine the official cause of death.
The couple was arraigned and remanded without bond. Flores's 1 year old daughter was removed from the home. The Post suggests the couple was afraid Sebastian's crying would wake other people living the West 135th Street apartment - they were living with 5-6 other illegal immigrants.
