January 9, 2004
Trenton,
NJ — An East Windsor mother who allegedly killed her 21-month-old son was
indicted today on a charge of first-degree murder, Mercer County Prosecutor
Joseph L. Bocchini Jr. announced.
Maritza
Soto, 27, of Gardenview Terrace, was charged in a multi-count indictment in the
death of her son, Daniel Soto. If
convicted, she faces a prison term of 30 years to life and would be required to
serve 85 percent of that sentence before being eligible for parole, Bocchini
said.
On
June 4, 2003, at approximately 8:19 p.m., the East Windsor Township Police
Department was dispatched to the Windsor Regency Apartments on a report of an
infant in respiratory arrest. The
responding officers found Daniel unresponsive with visible injuries to various
parts of the body. Officers
immediately began CPR. Daniel was transported by ambulance to CentraState
Medical Center in Freehold, Monmouth County, where he was pronounced dead by
emergency room physicians at 9:25 p.m. Charges
were filed against Maritza Soto on June 10.
In
addition to murder, Soto was indicted on two counts of second-degree endangering
the welfare of a child. She remains
in the Mercer County Correction Center in lieu of $275,000 bail.
The
child’s father, Astolfo Sanchez, 32, was also indicted on two counts of
second-degree endangering the welfare of a child.
Assistant
Prosecutor Kimm Lacken presented the case to the grand jury.
Despite having been indicted, every defendant is presumed innocent until found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.