MORRISTOWN, N.J. (1010 WINS) — A man was found guilty Wednesday of fatally beating his girlfriend's 3-year-old son at a New Jersey hotel in 2021, prosecutors said.
On August 13, 2021, Morristown police officers responded to the Morristown Medical Center in response to a report that a boy was experiencing a cardiac arrest, according to the Morris County Prosecutor's Office.
The child had a number of physical injuries, according to a subsequent investigation, and an autopsy would reveal that homicide was the cause of death.
According to an investigation, 29-year-old Edwin Urbina killed the child by beating him on August 13, 2021, early in the morning, at the OYO Hotel in East Hanover, New Jersey.
The investigation also showed that the victim's 5-year-old sibling saw the murder take place. Krystal Straw, the victim's mother, was not present during the assault but showed up at the hotel soon after.
However, prosecutors said both Urbina and Straw engaged in conduct to hinder the state’s investigation, including removing Urbina and his personal belongings from the hotel, deleting cell phone content and telling the sibling not to speak about the incident.
Detectives also found that Urbina had previously physically abused the boy.
Urbina was taken into custody on August 17, 2021, without incident outside the Morris County Records and Administration Building in Morristown. Straw had been charged and arrested four days earlier. Both Urbina and Straw remained in the Morris County Correctional Facility during their criminal cases.
On Jan. 12, Straw pleaded guilty to two counts of endangering the welfare of a child, three counts of hindering apprehension, tampering with a witness and tampering with physical evidence.
After a seven-day trial, Urbina was found guilty of murder, three counts of endangering the welfare of a child, hindering apprehension or prosecution, tampering with a witness and tampering with evidence.
Urbina and Straw will both remain jailed before their sentencing on March 16, prosecutors said.
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