A Baltimore father reportedly blamed Satan for the death of his 2-month-old daughter after doctors found troubling bruises covering the infant’s face, according to court records.
Katerin Monzon-Alvarado and Oscar Pineda, both 21, took baby Aida Alvarado to a hospital Wednesday. Medical staff observed extensive bruising around the child’s eyes and along her jaw.
According to charging documents obtained by CBS Baltimore, Pineda said the baby had been hit by a supernatural force—or by “Satan”—while a door was swinging.
Authorities said Aida became unresponsive while lying face down after being fed at the hospital.
Hospital staff attempted to resuscitate the infant but could not revive her, and she was pronounced dead. Monzon-Alvarado and Pineda were arrested Wednesday and appeared before a judge Friday.
Medical findings described in the CBS-obtained court documents pointed to extensive injuries, including serious trauma to the head and brain and several skull fractures.
The records state that Aida had “significant head and brain trauma,” as well as bleeding in the frontal lobe and a subdural hemorrhage, CBS reported.
Neighbors said they were horrified by the circumstances surrounding the infant’s death.
“My God, it’s terrible, terrible,” neighbor Shelbi Vonhendricks told CBS.
“I don’t understand how people can truly hurt their kids. You birth them, you carry them for nine months, and you can just hurt your kids like that… they deserve punishment and they should be put behind bars.”
During questioning, Monzon-Alvarado gave investigators a markedly different account of what happened.
She reportedly blamed the couple’s 2-year-old son, saying the toddler often jumped on the bed and may have caused the infant to fall.
Aida was “freezing and in shock” when Monzon-Alvarado took her to the hospital on Wednesday, according to prosecutors, but she became initially ill and bruised on Sunday.
The parents face child abuse, assault and reckless endangerment charges that carry a maximum sentence of 55 years in prison.
Monzon-Alvarado and Pineda are Guatemalan nationals — prosecutors in the court hearing on Friday say that they are a substantial flight risk.
