A Long Island, N.Y., man stands accused of striking a fatal blow to a 17-month-old boy Sunday because he believed the baby was “acting like a little girl.”
According to WPIX-TV, suspect Pedro Jones, 20, of South Hampton has been charged with first-degree manslaughter for hitting Roy A. Jones so hard with his fists that the infant went into cardiac arrest and died at a local hospital. Police say Jones said he was “trying to make him act like a boy instead of a little girl.”
Jones, who was baby-sitting the infant on the Shinnecock Indian Reservation, is described as the boyfriend of the baby’s mother. He is not a member of the tribe, but he lives on the reservation.
Jones pleaded not guilty Monday and is being held without bail on Long Island.
