A Johnston man has been found guilty of physically abusing his four-month-old son in 2017, according to Attorney General Peter F. Neronha. On January 11, 2023, following a five-day jury trial, Jean Diaz De La Rosa (age 27) was found guilty of two counts of first-degree child abuse. The defendant will be sentenced at a later date in Providence Superior Court.
According to the state’s evidence, in February 2017, the defendant physically abused his four-month-old son, causing multiple serious injuries, including seven fractures in both legs, a significant fracture to the child’s left hip, and right tibia, and three additional fractures in his shoulders. Medical personnel at the hospital determined that the injuries were indicative of child abuse and that two or more traumatic incidents occurred.
At the time, hospital staff also alerted the Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) of suspected child abuse. Subsequently, the infant was placed into DCYF care.
“This Office prosecutes thousands of cases every year, and yet there are some that still leave one searching for words. We talk often about protecting our state’s most vulnerable residents. Are there any more vulnerable than a four-month-old child? A child who should have been loved, and cared for, especially by his parent. Yet this child was abused by that parent, physically, severely, repeatedly. Justice has arrived yesterday, and deservedly so,” said Attorney General Neronha.
