JOHNSTON, R.I. (WPRI) — A Johnston man has been convicted of physically abusing his 4-month-old son, according to Attorney General Peter Neronha’s office.
Jean Diaz De La Rosa, 27, was found guilty of two counts of first-degree child abuse.
On Feb. 13, 2017, De La Rosa and the infant’s mother took him to Hasbro Children’s Hospital because he was lethargic, sleepy, and his legs were swollen.
Doctors determined the infant had suffered seven fractures in his legs and three fractures in his shoulders, the AG’s office said.
The injuries were “indicative of child abuse and that two or more traumatic incidents occurred,” doctors added.
Officials previously said four to five days passed between the abuse and when the child was brought to the hospital.
At the time, the infant was placed in the care of the Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth, and Families.
“This office prosecutes thousands of cases every year, and yet there are some that still leave one searching for words,” Neronha said in a news release. “We talk often about protecting our state’s most vulnerable residents. Are there any more vulnerable than a four-month-old child?”
“A child who should have been loved, and cared for, especially by his parent,” he continued. “Yet this child was abused by that parent, physically, severely, repeatedly. Justice has arrived yesterday, and deservedly so.”
De La Rosa will be sentenced at a later date.
