A New Jersey man has been sentenced to 25 years in prison after beating his infant daughter to death — and even his own defense attorney admitted there was no way to justify what he did.
Ruben Santiago, 37, of Lakewood Township, pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter in the death of his 3-month-old daughter. On Friday, Ocean County Judge Guy P. Ryan handed down the sentence.
His lawyer, Glenn Kassman, offered little defense.
“How does something like this happen?” Kassman said in court. “We can’t justify it. It’s unjustifiable.”
What happened the night of May 5, 2025
Lakewood Township police responded around 7:20 p.m. to an apartment on Pinehurst Drive after a call about an infant struggling to breathe. Officers found the baby girl unresponsive. Paramedics rushed her to the hospital, where she died the following day.
An autopsy determined she died from blunt force trauma to the head, causing a skull fracture and subdural hematoma — bleeding on the brain. The medical examiner ruled the death a homicide.
The injuries told a darker story
The autopsy revealed the beating on May 5 was not an isolated incident. The infant had seven broken ribs and a fractured wrist, all in various stages of healing — meaning she had been subjected to abuse for most of her short life.
Santiago initially claimed he had accidentally dropped the baby while picking her up. Prosecutors said her injuries did not match that explanation.
His defense later acknowledged he had been frustrated and overwhelmed by financial stress — and directed that rage at his daughter.
“He took it out on his baby,” said Ocean County Chief Trial Attorney Kristin Pressman. “A helpless child.”
The mother was cleared
Both Santiago and the girl’s mother were initially arrested. But prosecutors dropped all charges against the mother earlier this year. As part of his guilty plea, Santiago formally exonerated her from any wrongdoing. Her attorney established she was not home at the time of the fatal assault.
What Santiago said in court
Santiago addressed the court and said he was sorry.
“If I could trade my life for hers, I would in a heartbeat,” he said.
Judge Ryan was unmoved — and direct.
“These things are no different than what anyone else would go through — that millions of people have gone through,” Ryan said, rejecting the financial stress argument entirely.
The judge concluded: “There’s no way you can describe this child’s death as anything other than heinous and cruel.”
