Special2bme
May 23rd, 2009, 02:24 PM
A Camden man was charged with murder Thursday night in the death of his girlfriend's infant daughter, authorities said yesterday.
Jayson Serrano, 20, was held at the Camden County Jail on $1 million bail in the death of Amirah Estremera on Thursday morning.
Authorities said Serrano kneed the 16-month-old girl twice in the abdomen while alone with her in a room at the Hillside Inn on Route 38 in Cherry Hill, causing death by blunt-force trauma to her head and torso.
He called 911 at 8:48 a.m. and reported that the girl had had a seizure, according to the Camden County Prosecutor's Office.
Amirah was pronounced dead a short while later at Cooper University Hospital.
The child's mother and Serrano had apparently been staying at the motel for several days, according to the Prosecutor's Office.
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/local/nj/20090523_Camden_man_charged_in_infant_s_death.html
A 20-year-old Camden man allegedly killed a toddler by kneeing her twice in the chest while they were alone at a Cherry Hill motel, authorities said Friday.
Police said Jayson Serrano assaulted 16-month-old Amirah Estremera, his girlfriend's daughter, in a room at the Hillside Inn on Route 38.
Serrano called 911 around 8:50 a.m. Thursday and claimed the girl had a seizure, said Jason Laughlin, a spokesman for the Camden County Prosecutor's Office. The girl was pronounced dead a short time later at Cooper University Hospital, Camden.
Blunt force trauma to the girl's head and chest were determined as the cause of death.
Serrano, of the 900 block of North 6th Street, was being held in Camden County Jail on a $1 million bail.
Amirah's mother, Meligza Cruz, 21, and Serrano's family and friends say the man they knew would not hurt the girl he was helping raise.
"I don't believe he did that to my daughter," Cruz said Friday, surrounded by friends and family alongside a memorial for Amirah outside her parents' North Camden home.
Cruz said Serrano had been helping her raise Amirah since the two started dating last August. The two have been friends and dated on and off for the past seven years.
Serrano's mother, Margarita Serrano, said she, too, didn't believe her son, who worked various odd jobs, could have killed the girl.
"He felt like that was his daughter," Margarita Serrano said. "Why would he do that? All he would talk about was Amirah, Amirah, Amirah."
Margarita Serrano said she believes the injuries to Amirah may have stemmed from when her son tried to perform CPR on the child.
Laughlin said he did not have information as to whether police had ever been called to the home in North Camden where the couple stayed. State Division of Youth and Family Services officials could not be reached Friday because of a state furlough.
Cruz, who is pregnant with Jayson Serrano's child, said she, Amirah and Serrano had been staying at the hotel in Cherry Hill for several days. They were planning to move out of her parents' home and into an apartment in the near future.
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When she left at 8 a.m. Thursday for an appointment in Camden, Amirah was healthy and playing with toys, Cruz said.
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"I gave her a kiss and I left," Cruz said.
On the way to her appointment she said a frantic Jayson Serrano called to say Amirah was having a seizure, Cruz said. Right after she arrived at the hotel the pair was whisked off to the hospital.
Cruz said it wasn't until about midnight that authorities called to say Jayson Serrano was being charged with Amirah's death.
Prosecutor's spokesman Capt. Joseph Bowen declined to comment on how Jayson Serrano was arrested or what transpired between the time Amirah died and charges were filed at about 11:15 p.m. Thursday.
Cruz said she wants to speak with Jayson Serrano to see what happened Thursday morning after she left the hotel room.
"I need to speak with him," she said. "I'm not just going to believe what the prosecutors are telling me."
http://www.courierpostonline.com/article/20090523/NEWS01/905230344/1006/news01/Mother+questions+events+of+toddler+s+death
Jayson Serrano, 20, was held at the Camden County Jail on $1 million bail in the death of Amirah Estremera on Thursday morning.
Authorities said Serrano kneed the 16-month-old girl twice in the abdomen while alone with her in a room at the Hillside Inn on Route 38 in Cherry Hill, causing death by blunt-force trauma to her head and torso.
He called 911 at 8:48 a.m. and reported that the girl had had a seizure, according to the Camden County Prosecutor's Office.
Amirah was pronounced dead a short while later at Cooper University Hospital.
The child's mother and Serrano had apparently been staying at the motel for several days, according to the Prosecutor's Office.
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/local/nj/20090523_Camden_man_charged_in_infant_s_death.html
A 20-year-old Camden man allegedly killed a toddler by kneeing her twice in the chest while they were alone at a Cherry Hill motel, authorities said Friday.
Police said Jayson Serrano assaulted 16-month-old Amirah Estremera, his girlfriend's daughter, in a room at the Hillside Inn on Route 38.
Serrano called 911 around 8:50 a.m. Thursday and claimed the girl had a seizure, said Jason Laughlin, a spokesman for the Camden County Prosecutor's Office. The girl was pronounced dead a short time later at Cooper University Hospital, Camden.
Blunt force trauma to the girl's head and chest were determined as the cause of death.
Serrano, of the 900 block of North 6th Street, was being held in Camden County Jail on a $1 million bail.
Amirah's mother, Meligza Cruz, 21, and Serrano's family and friends say the man they knew would not hurt the girl he was helping raise.
"I don't believe he did that to my daughter," Cruz said Friday, surrounded by friends and family alongside a memorial for Amirah outside her parents' North Camden home.
Cruz said Serrano had been helping her raise Amirah since the two started dating last August. The two have been friends and dated on and off for the past seven years.
Serrano's mother, Margarita Serrano, said she, too, didn't believe her son, who worked various odd jobs, could have killed the girl.
"He felt like that was his daughter," Margarita Serrano said. "Why would he do that? All he would talk about was Amirah, Amirah, Amirah."
Margarita Serrano said she believes the injuries to Amirah may have stemmed from when her son tried to perform CPR on the child.
Laughlin said he did not have information as to whether police had ever been called to the home in North Camden where the couple stayed. State Division of Youth and Family Services officials could not be reached Friday because of a state furlough.
Cruz, who is pregnant with Jayson Serrano's child, said she, Amirah and Serrano had been staying at the hotel in Cherry Hill for several days. They were planning to move out of her parents' home and into an apartment in the near future.
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When she left at 8 a.m. Thursday for an appointment in Camden, Amirah was healthy and playing with toys, Cruz said.
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"I gave her a kiss and I left," Cruz said.
On the way to her appointment she said a frantic Jayson Serrano called to say Amirah was having a seizure, Cruz said. Right after she arrived at the hotel the pair was whisked off to the hospital.
Cruz said it wasn't until about midnight that authorities called to say Jayson Serrano was being charged with Amirah's death.
Prosecutor's spokesman Capt. Joseph Bowen declined to comment on how Jayson Serrano was arrested or what transpired between the time Amirah died and charges were filed at about 11:15 p.m. Thursday.
Cruz said she wants to speak with Jayson Serrano to see what happened Thursday morning after she left the hotel room.
"I need to speak with him," she said. "I'm not just going to believe what the prosecutors are telling me."
http://www.courierpostonline.com/article/20090523/NEWS01/905230344/1006/news01/Mother+questions+events+of+toddler+s+death