Toms River Man Indicted On Charge He Murdered His Daughter: Report

A Toms River man has been indicted on charges he murdered his infant daughter in 2013, according to a report.

The Asbury Park Press report said Michael Rojas, 38, of Martin Road, was indicted on charges of murder and endangering the welfare of a child in the August 2013 case.

Rojas and his wife, Giovanna, 35, were arrested in February 2014 and charged with aggravated manslaughter and child endangerment in the baby’s death, according to a Patch report at the time.

But the Press report on the indictment said the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office plans to drop the charges against Giovanna as a result of the investigation into the baby’s death.

Rojas also is a registered sex offender, who was convicted in 2009 of befriending a 15-year-old girl and having sex with her, according to the New Jersey State Police sex offender database.

According to the prosecutor’s office, the autopsy on the baby -- identified in court documents only as J.R. -- died of exsanguination -- severe blood loss -- and compression trauma to the chest and abdomen, which means she had been squeezed.

The upgraded charge of murder was based on a complete review of the medical evidence in the case that indicated Michael Rojas purposely and knowingly caused serious bodily injury that resulted in the infant’s death, the Press report said.

The baby, who was born July 17, 2013, was not breathing when she was brought to Community Medical Center in Toms River the night of Aug. 27, 2013, the prosecutor’s office said at the time of Rojas’s arrest. Hospital staff revived the infant and transferred her to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, but she died early the next morning, just after turning 6 weeks old.

Though both parents initially were arrested and charged, the Press report said the prosecutor’s office said the investigation allowed authorities to pinpoint the time frame during which the father was with the infant compared with when the mother was with her, leading to a decision to dismiss charges against the mother.

Giovanna Rojas has been free on bail.