Rafael Antonio Carrion Jr., 29, faces life in prison after being found guilty as charged of Second Degree Murder, Aggravated Manslaughter of a Child, and Aggravated Child Abuse. The jury returned the verdict after deliberating for under two hours following a four day trial in Lee County.
The crime occurred in November 2016. The defendant had been babysitting the 8 month old victim and his two siblings for approximately a week at his home in Fort Myers. On Thanksgiving day Carrion called 911 for assistance because the victim was unresponsive. The infant was transported to the hospital where he later died as a result of inflicted blunt force trauma to the child’s skull which caused a fracture and other injuries. He also had significant bruising and abrasions to his face as well as cocaine in his blood stream. The defendant gave conflicting stories of how the child got the injuries but did not take responsibility for harming the child.
This case was a team effort by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office and the State Attorney’s Office to complete the investigation to bring this case to trial.
Sentencing is scheduled for October 1st. Assistant State Attorney and Special Victim’s Unit Chief Francine Donnorummo prosecuted the case.
Samantha Syoen
Communications Director
State Attorney’s Office
239-533-1125
ssyoen@sao20.org