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Man pleads guilty in fatal fentanyl poisoning of 1-year-old at Bronx daycare, DA says
By
Giulia Heyward
Published Jun 10, 2024
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By
Giulia Heyward
Published Jun 10, 2024
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The husband of a Bronx daycare owner pleaded guilty to federal charges after a 1-year-old died from being exposed to fentanyl at the center, officials said on Monday.
Felix Herrera Garcia, 35, entered the guilty plea on Monday morning, the day he was set to begin trial almost a year after the incident, which also led to the poisoning of three other children in addition to 22-month old Nicholas Dominici’s fatal fentanyl ingestion.
The 1-year-old boy’s death rocked the city in September. The Bronx DA vowed to crack down on home day care centers like the Divino Niño Day Care Center on Morris Avenue, where police said they found fentanyl stored beside children’s playmats and underneath floorboards, along with drug processing equipment, according to officials.
And while the daycare center passed several city and state investigations when it initially opened, not every resident of the home passed a background check, officials later revealed. A subsequent hearing at City Hall revealed there were nearly 140 pending background checks for daycare employees.
“Herrera Garcia has now been held accountable in the tragic loss of little Nicholas, the serious injury of Abel, and the harm to Kiara and Jaziel,” Bronx County District Attorney Darcel D. Clark said in a statement.
In a press release on Monday, officials revealed that Herrera Garcia — and co-conspirator, 38-year-old Renny Antonio Parra Paredes — hid large quantities of fentanyl, including more than 10 milligrams of narcotics, in secret compartments located underneath the floor of the daycare’s playroom from October 2022 to September 2023, according to the DA.
Their attorneys did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Herrera Garcia pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute narcotics resulting in death and serious bodily injury, one count of possession with intent to distribute narcotics resulting in death, and one count of possession with intent to distribute narcotics resulting in serious bodily injury, the DA said.
Parra Paredes pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute narcotics resulting in death and serious bodily injury.
All of the counts carry a minimum sentence of 20 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison, the DA said.
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Giulia Heyward
Giulia Heyward is a breaking news reporter on the Day-Of desk. She previously worked at NPR, as a breaking news reporter, and the New York Times, as a reporting fellow on the national desk. Her work has also appeared in CNN, The Atlantic and Politico. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or more securely on signal at 917-715-1458.
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