Prison Time For Hartford Man Who Shook Daughter To Death

HARTFORD, CT — A 29-year-old Hartford man who shook his baby daughter to death in 2018 will spend at least 15 years behind bars following his sentencing Friday, state officials said.

Hartford State’s Attorney Sharmese L. Walcott announced Friday that Judge Frank M. D’Addabbo Jr. sentenced Edwin Babilonia to 20 years in prison, suspended after 15 years served, followed by five years of probation, for his role in the death of his 7-week-old daughter, Emily Babilonia, in Hartford in May 2018.

Babilonia, 29, formerly of Hartford, was found guilty by a jury on Sept. 29 of second-degree manslaughter and risk of injury to a minor.

According to trial testimony, during the early morning hours of May 24, 2018, Emily woke up and was crying incessantly.

Babilonia and Ashley Perez-Rivera, the baby’s mother, took turns trying to console Emily, state officials said.

Walcott said Babilonia then took the baby into the bathroom, where he attempted to console her, but recklessly shook Emily, causing a massive brain bleed and spinal cord injury.

Later that morning, Babilonia and Perez-Rivera brought the baby to the hospital where her injuries were evaluated by physicians and a Suspected Child Abuse and Neglect (SCAN) team at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center.

Emily died due to her injuries on May 28, 2018.

Both Babilonia and Perez-Rivera were interviewed and arrested for their involvement in the death of their daughter.

Perez-Rivera has pleaded guilty in Superior Court to charges of risk of injury and criminally negligent homicide for her role of failing to immediately seek medical care in the death of her daughter.

She received a sentence of 10 years in prison, suspended after five years served, followed by five years of probation.

Walcott thanked the Hartford Police Department for their investigative efforts and commended the work of Assistant State’s Attorney Emily D. Trudeau who prosecuted the case with Walcott.

Additionally, Walcott thanked Inspector Carlos Ocasio and Paralegal Specialist Kelly De La Cruz for their assistance in the trial.