'Heinous Abuse': LI Man Found Guilty Of Assaulting Girlfriend's 2-Year-Old Daughter: DA

HUNTINGTON STATION, NY — A Huntington Station man, 33, was found guilty of beating his girlfriend's 2-year-old daughter, causing injuries that threatened the baby's life, Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney announced Monday.

The man was not named by the Suffolk County DA's Office in order to protect the identity of the victim.

"A defenseless 2-year-old child was left in critical condition after enduring horrific injuries caused by this defendant under circumstances evincing his depraved indifference to her life," Tierney said in a news release. "No parent should ever come home to find their child in such a state, and no child should ever have to endure such heinous abuse. We thank the jury for their time and attention in this case, and we will be seeking the maximum penalty allowable under the law at the defendant's sentencing."

Between Feb. 17, 2024 and Feb. 19, 2024, the man was babysitting his girlfriend’s 2-year-old daughter while she went to work and ran errands, prosecutors said.

When the mother returned home on Feb. 18, she noticed significant bruises on her child's body, authorities said. On Feb. 19, she noticed that her child had a new, "significant bruise" on her face, and that her baby was vomiting profusely and unable to stand or respond to her, investigators said.

The mother brought her child to the emergency room at Huntington Hospital, where medical staff determined the child was in critical condition, officials said.

The child was then transferred to Cohen Children’s Medical Center, where she received emergency surgery to repair a life-threatening injury to her small intestine which was caused by significant blunt force trauma, prosecutors said.

The man was convicted on Friday of one count of first-degree assault, two counts of second-degree assault, and one count of endangering the welfare of a child.

The man is due back in court for sentencing on April 10 and faces up to 25 years in prison on the top count. He is being represented by Matthew Tuohy.

His client, Tuohy said, "maintains his innocence — his position is that he never assaulted the young girl."