NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — A Queens man is facing 25 years to life in prison for the blunt force trauma death of his 3-year-old son at a city shelter last week.
Shaquan Butler, 26, was arraigned Sunday on a six-count complaint charging him with two counts of second-degree murder, two counts of first-degree manslaughter, second-degree manslaughter and endangering the welfare of a child.
"A defenseless young child’s life was brutally snatched from him before it even began in most ways; a case that is equal parts heartbreaking and disturbing," said Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz in a statement.
Butler allegedly struck his son, also named Shaquan Butler, in the torso inside the family's apartment in the Pan American Hotel in Elmhurst on the night of Nov. 13, according to prosecutors. The boy's mother and his two young siblings were in the apartment at the time as well.
When first responders arrived at the hotel, which also doubles as a city shelter, they discovered the 3-year-old unconscious on the floor with bruises to his head, torso and extremities.
He was rushed to NYC Health + Hospital/Elmhurst, but he did not survive.
Prosecutors said the medical examiner found that the child had significant internal bleeding and died from blunt force trauma to his torso.
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