Fort Lee Man Found Guilty Of Killing Infant Son: Report

FORT LEE, NJ — Michael Marrara was found guilty Monday of aggravated manslaughter related to the death of his 10-week-old son, Andrew Jeremy Marrara in 2012.

Marrara faces 30 years in prison when he is sentenced June 15, NorthJersey.com reported. His defense attorney John Bruno said he would appeal the verdict, the report stated. He was also found guilty of hindering apprehension and endangering the welfare of a child.

Police responded to a 911 call on March 26, 2012 reporting that an infant at a Center Avenue apartment was not breathing, authorities reported when Marrara was charged. The unresponsive baby – in the care of Marrara and his wife, Lindsay Whitman – was rushed to Englewood Hospital where he was pronounced dead. Marrara pleaded not guilty to the charges.

State authorities argued that Andrew Marrara had problems feeding and that a frustrated Michael Marrara lost control and either hit the baby or threw him, which caused a brain hemorrhage, NorthJersey.com reported.

The death was later ruled a homicide, caused by a "closed head injury," authorities previously said.

An autopsy conducted the following day revealed the child had been healing from multiple injuries at the time of his death, authorities said. They included three broken ribs and soft tissue injuries.

Further medical tests on the infant Marrara were conducted over the 15-month investigation, authorities said. The child had no underlying medical or physiological abnormalities that could have contributed to the death.

At his arraignment in 2013, Michael Marrara's family said he was innocent. The family long claimed the child died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.

Related: Fort Lee Firefighter Charged in Death of Infant Son
Related: Suspended Fort Lee Firefighter's Son Had Broken Ribs, Internal Injuries Before He Died, Prosecutor Says
Related: Man Accused of Killing Infant Son 'Innocent', Family Says

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Photo: Michael Marrara (Bergen County Prosecutor's Office)