Illegal immigrant kills baby over paternity doubts

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A 20-year-old undocumented immigrant from Guatemala has been arrested for allegedly killing his two-month-old daughter through a series of brutal attacks in New York.

Authorities say Marlon Rabanales-Pretzantzin subjected baby Liseyda Rabanales-Barrios to horrific violence, including slapping her face, punching her stomach, aggressively shaking her body, throwing her onto a bed, and forcefully pressing his fist against her chest.

The savage assault left the infant with severe injuries to her ribcage and a broken vertebra in her neck, which medical experts attribute to the violent shaking, according to The New York Post.

🚨🇬🇹 🇺🇸 #Justicia | Un joven guatemalteco de 20 años, Marlon Rabanales Pretzantzin, fue acusado de asesinato en segundo grado tras la muerte de una bebé de dos meses en el condado de Nassau, EE.UU. Las autoridades informaron que Rabanales, quien estaba en el país de manera… pic.twitter.com/G3Qp9XXX0u

— CENTRANEWS (@CentraNewsGT) March 14, 2025

When questioned about his motives, Rabanales-Pretzantzin admitted to investigators that he harbored resentment toward the baby because he doubted his paternity.

“Although he is listed as the father on the birth certificate, he suspects that he is not the father so he lost affection for the baby and felt some kind of animosity,” Nassau County Detective Lieutenant Scott Skrynecki told The Post.

Emergency services responded to the scene after receiving a call from an unidentified person at the residence who claimed the baby had fallen off the bed.

The suspect, who illegally crossed into the United States in 2022, was taken into custody by Inwood Police on Wednesday and faces murder charges.

🚨 ILLEGAL MIGRANT CHARGED WITH MURDER OF 2-MONTH-OLD BABY IN NEW YORK 🚨

Marlon Rabanales-Pretzantzin, 20, an illegal migrant, has been charged with murder after confessing to brutally beating his 2-month-old daughter, Liseyda Rabanales-Barrios, to death in their Inwood, NY… pic.twitter.com/RfYwRNL5JD

— Kristy Tallman (@KristyTallman) March 14, 2025

“What he did to this kid is unthinkable,” Nassau County Police Detective Captain Stephen Fitzpatrick said during a press conference on Thursday.

“We are all quite upset about this arrest and infuriated that this individual was even in this country to begin with.”

Despite having been previously detained by Border Patrol, Rabanales-Pretzantzin was released back into the country. He is currently being held without bail in Nassau County.