Boyfriend charged in death of baby
December 16, 2006
By Paul Brooks
The 10-month-old baby boy who
police say was injured in an assault at his home Monday has died,
and the mother's boyfriend has been charged with manslaughter in
connection with his death.
Shortly before noon yesterday,
Ellenville police Chief Phil Mattracion confirmed the death of
Antonio Torres. The baby's mother is Noraida Colon, who is employed
in the human resources department of the Times Herald-Record.
Police re-arraigned Colon's
boyfriend, Christopher Pitkin, yesterday morning on a new charge of
first-degree manslaughter. Police say Pitkin, 26, of 2 Forsyth
Place, Newburgh, was the only one at home at the time the child was
injured.
He originally faced charges of
first-degree assault, a felony, and endangering the welfare of a
child, a misdemeanor. He was returned yesterday to Ulster County
Jail without bail and is scheduled to return to court Thursday.
Ulster County District Attorney Don
Williams was awaiting results yesterday of the baby's autopsy.
Pitkin could have faced a murder
charge instead of manslaughter, but Williams said that was not
appropriate. "This was reckless conduct," he said. "There is no
indication the boyfriend intended to cause the child's death."
Chester lawyer Ben Ostrer is
representing Pitkin.
"He did voluntarily go to the
police station and was interviewed for 10 hours," Ostrer said of
Pitkin. "This wasn't somebody that gave the impression of being
fearful of the outcome. He certainly wasn't thinking about himself
first."
Doctors at Albany Medical Center
and the Arden Hill campus of Orange Regional Medical Center had done
diagnostic testing on the child's brain, Ostrer said. "There is
pathology involving the child here, particularly brain pathology. It
is possible the child was more fragile than most," he said.
Mattracion would not discuss the
child's injuries except to say they were very serious.
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