A Washington, D.C.-area teenager is being charged as an adult with first-degree murder for beating and suffocating his baby sister to death, police said Monday. Johnathan Aguiluc, 14, of White Oak, Md., appeared in court Monday, where a judge denied him bond. Police say Gloria Yanes, 39, left her 11640 Lockwood Drive apartment about 10:30 p.m. Thursday to go to work, leaving Aguiluc to babysit his two sisters, 7-month-old Larissa Yanes and a 3-year-old whose name was not released.
Aguiluc confessed to police that he beat his infant sister and then covered her nose and mouth when she would not stop crying. "He admitted to causing those injuries and also placing his hands over her mouth and nose as she was crying," said Montgomery County Police Captain Paul Starks to local ABC affiliate WJLA-TV.
When she had apparently quieted, Aguiluc placed her in a car seat. That is where Yanes found Larissa when she returned home at 5:30 a.m. Friday. About half an hour later, Yanes attempted to wake Larissa to feed her, only to discover the baby was unresponsive.
Montgomery County Police Captain Paul Starks said the suspect admitted to placing his hands over Larissa’s nose and mouth as she was crying. He also said that although it is legal to have a 14-year-old watch younger siblings in Maryland, some details of this case cannot be released now.
Yanes called emergency services, and Larissa was taken to Holy Cross Hosptial, where she was pronounced dead at 6:54 a.m. Authorities say the cause of death was asphyxia.
Some wounds on Larissa's body were determined to be postmortem insect bites.
"This particular apartment was infested with bugs," said Montgomery County State's Attorney John McCarthy in court. "The bugs attacked this child after she died."
Now, Child Services is investigating the living conditions of Yanes' home and whether Aguiluc was a victim of abuse, according to WJLA-TV. If he was an abuse victim, the charges against him could be amended, and he would be tried as a juvenile.
"In Maryland, it is permissible to have a 14-year-old watch a younger sibling under normal circumstances, but there are some details I can't release as this investigation goes on," said Starks.
Meanwhile, Yanes' neighbors were reeling from the shocking with the news.
"She never even had a chance at life," says Brian McCoy. "(It's) really a shame, and now it's really two lives taken away. The 14-year-old just lost his life, too."
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