A San Diego man who inflicted fatal injuries on his 7-week-old daughter has pleaded guilty to felony child abuse and is slated to be sentenced next month to 10 years in state prison.
Jaime Santillanes, 39, was previously charged with murder and assault in the death of Genevieve Santillanes, who died at a hospital three days after police were called to the family’s University City home.
Officers responded on the night of March 18, 2023, for a report of a baby who had stopped breathing. Santillanes was arrested following a police investigation in which the San Diego Police Department consulted with “medical personnel who have specialized in training in child-abuse related injuries to determine exactly what occurred,” SDPD Lt. Steve Shebloski said.
The child abuse count Santillanes pleaded guilty to on Tuesday indicates the child’s injuries occurred “under circumstances or conditions likely to produce great bodily harm or death.” He also admitted to an allegation that he personally inflicted great bodily injury on a child under 5 years old…