By The Star Staff
Jovanie Aponte Ríos was sentenced on Monday to 50 years in prison after pleading guilty to the murder and sexual assault of his one-year-old stepdaughter, Kailanys Isabel Soto Roque, in Aibonito.
Judge Luis Barreto Altieri, of the Aibonito Court of First Instance, issued the sentence, noting that Aponte Ríos will not qualify to be evaluated by the Parole Board, which means that he will have to serve the entire sentence in prison.
Aponte Ríos, who admitted to having caused multiple traumas to the minor, was also found responsible for acts of sexual assault. The toddler was transported to the Mennonite Hospital of Aibonito, where she was declared dead.
Prosecutors Ernesto Quesada Ojeda, Nailymar Arroyo Colón and Ileana Santos Colom, from the Specialized Unit for Domestic Violence, Sexual Crimes and Child Abuse, presented compelling evidence that led Aponte Ríos to accept his guilt through a pre-agreed plea.
“The now convicted man will have to serve the full sentence in prison,” Justice Secretary Domingo Emanuelli Hernández said in a written statement. “He will not be able to receive bonuses or be considered by the Parole Board. In this way, he will pay for the death of a defenseless baby; a crime that caused dismay on the island.”
District Attorney Ernesto Quesada Ojeda added: “Today we put an end to this repugnant and atrocious crime against a defenseless girl who was barely 13 months old.”
“The Department of Justice will always defend with great fervor the rights, well-being and life of all children in Puerto Rico,” he said.
The investigation was conducted by agents Gerardo Berríos and Glicelia Alicea of the Puerto Rico Police Bureau’s Criminal Investigation Corps.
Comments