Chester County man pleads guilty to killing a 9-month-old baby
Prosecutors say 32-year-old Enrique Lopez-Gomez fell on the baby, and when the infant began to cry, he punched the child and did not seek help.
A Chester County man pleaded guilty to murder and related crimes earlier this month after he punched a 9-month-old infant and did not seek medical care for the child, prosecutors said Wednesday.
Enrique Lopez-Gomez, 32, of West Grove, pleaded guilty to third-degree murder and endangering the welfare of a child on Feb. 11, according to prosecutors.
He remains incarcerated in the Chester County Prison and awaits sentencing.
Announcing the charges, Chester County District Attorney Christopher de Barrena-Sarobe called the crime “unthinkable.”
Prosecutors say Lopez-Gomez was the child’s caregiver at the time of the 2024 incident, when he fell on the infant at a residence in Kennett Square. As the baby began to cry in pain, Lopez-Gomez punched the child in the abdomen, prosecutors said.
He did not seek help or tell anyone about the child’s injuries, according to prosecutors, nor did he offer medical care as the child’s condition worsened that evening.
First responders who were later called to the scene removed the baby from the home, and the child was pronounced dead at Nemours/A.I. DuPont Hospital for Children.
Medical examiners determined that the child had died from blunt force trauma, leading to an intestinal rupture and soft tissue bleeding, prosecutors said.
The baby had also suffered large bruises around the abdomen.
Prosecutors have yet to set a date for Lopez-Gomez’s sentencing. He is being held on a $10,000,000 bail.