Sentenced: NJ Parents Charged With Murder In 3MO Daughter's Death

[Sugar Cookie]

On Thursday morning, law enforcement officials in Ocean County, New Jersey, announced the arrests and charging of Ruben Santiago, 36, and Caitlin Gibson, 28, both of Lakewood, NJ, for their alleged roles in the May 6, 2025 death of their three-month-old daughter.

According to police, officers responded to the pair's home along Pinehurst Drive in Lakewood, at about 7:20 p.m., on Monday, May 5, 2025, on a report of an infant that was unresponsive.

First responders, police said, attempted life-saving techniques and the child was taken to a nearby hospital and then transferred to a pediatric intensive care unit, where the girl was pronounced on May 6, 2025.

An autopsy of the infant uncovered that the girl died of blunt force trauma to the head and, police said, her death was ruled a homicide.

An investigation, police officials claim, determined that the girl's parents, Santiago and Gibson, were allegedly responsible for the child's death -- though police officials did not provide additional information on what led to the infant's death.

NJ parents arrested, charged with murder in 3-month-old daughter's death

A couple from Lakewood, New Jersey have been arrested and charged with murder and related offenses after their 3-month-old daughter died of blunt force injuries, officials said.

www.nbcphiladelphia.com

 

[Sugar Cookie]

A 36-year-old father and a 28-year-old mother in New Jersey are accused of killing their 3-month-old daughter earlier this year, allegedly fracturing the child's skull during a fatal beating.

A grand jury last week returned a true bill indicting Ruben Santiago and Caitlin M. Gibson on one count each of murder, authorities announced. According to a news release from the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office, officers with the Lakewood Township Police Department at about 7:20 p.m. on May 5 responded to a residence on Pinehurst Drive after receiving a report of an infant "having difficulty breathing."

Upon arrival, first responders said they found the 3-month-old unresponsive. Emergency medical personnel arrived shortly after police and began performing lifesaving procedures before transporting the victim to Ocean University Medical Center in Brick Township. Due to the severity of her condition, the infant was later transferred to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune.

The victim succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced dead on May 6. A subsequent autopsy performed by the Ocean County Medical Examiner's Office determined that the victim's cause of death was "blunt force trauma to the head causing fracturing and subdural hematoma," prosecutors said. The manner of death was determined to be homicide.

During the investigation, authorities said they uncovered evidence revealing that Santiago and Gibson "were responsible for the child's death." Santiago and Gibson were arrested at the Lakewood Township Police Headquarters on May 7.

Court documents obtained by Patch Media provided additional details about the circumstances of the infant's death.

According to the report, the medical examiner described the child's injuries as "devastating," saying they were similar to injuries "sustained from substantial force" such as "the level of force experienced by a significant motor vehicle crash."

In addition to the fractured skull, she reportedly also suffered seven broken ribs and a fractured wrist that were in various stages of healing, indicating a history of physical abuse.

At the hospital, the parents reportedly told investigators that their daughter had diarrhea and was vomiting intermittently for a few days. They had even taken her to the hospital where she was given IV fluids the day before she suffered her fatal injuries.

On the night of May 5, Santiago claimed he changed the baby's diaper and put her down at about 7 p.m. and was found unresponsive by Gibson about 20 minutes later.

Following their arrests, Gibson reportedly refused to speak with investigators. Santiago, on the other hand, allegedly offered numerous explanations for what could have happened to his daughter, including that he dropped a glass bottle on her head, dropped her while crouching, and dropped her while standing. He also allegedly said the infant may have struck her head on a TV stand and the support beam of her bouncer.

Parents charged after newborn's fatal injuries compared to 'significant' car crash: Cops

Ruben Santiago and Caitlin M. Gibson are charged with murder in New Jersey for allegedly beating their 3-month-old daughter to death earlier this year.

lawandcrime.com

 

[Sugar Cookie]

A New Jersey man who beat his 3-month-old daughter to death because he was overwhelmed and stressed about finances will spend more than two decades behind bars.

Ruben Santiago, 37, pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter after the beating death of his infant daughter, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office said. On Friday, he was sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Prosecutors said Santiago fractured the girl's skull and caused her brain to bleed.

Santiago's own attorney couldn't come up with much of an excuse for his client's action.

"How does something like this happen?" attorney Glenn Kassman said, according to a courtroom report from NJ.com. "We can't justify it…It's unjustifiable."

An autopsy showed the girl died of blunt force trauma to the head "causing fracturing and subdural hematoma." The medical examiner deemed the death a homicide.

The autopsy also showed that the girl had suffered beatings for most of her short life. She suffered seven broken ribs and a broken wrist that were in various stages of healing, prosecutors said, per NJ.com.

Initially, both Santiago and the girl's mother were arrested. But prosecutors dropped the charges against the girl's mother earlier this year and as part of his plea, Santiago "exonerated" her from any wrongdoing. NJ.com reported the attorney for the mother proved that she was not at home at the time of the fatal beating.

Santiago said he was sorry for his actions and became emotional as he addressed the court.

"If I could trade my life for hers, I would in a heartbeat," Santiago said.

Defense lawyer can't rationalize dad who killed 3-month-old because he was stressed out

A New Jersey man who beat his 3-month-old daughter to death because he was overwhelmed and stressed about finances will spend more than two decades behind bars.

lawandcrime.com