Johnston Man Receives 15-Year Prison Sentence For Abusing 4-Month-Old Son

JOHNSTON, RI — A Johnston man was sentenced Thursday to 15 years in state prison after prosecutors proved he physically abused his 4-month-old son in 2017, fracturing bones in the infant's legs, shoulders and left hip.

In January, a Providence County Superior Court jury found Jean Diaz De La Rosa, 27, guilty of two counts of first-degree child abuse.

"This Office prosecutes thousands of cases every year, and yet there are some that still leave one searching for words," Attorney General Peter Neronha said in a statement. "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."

On Feb. 13, 2017, Hasbro Children’s Hospital staff reported the suspected child abuse to Johnston police. Following an evaluation at the hospital, nurses and doctors determined De La Rosa's son suffered from seven fractures in both of his legs, including a significant fracture to the child's left hip and right tibia and three additional fractures in his shoulders.

Doctors at the Aubin Child Protection Center at Hasbro found that the 10 fractures indicated child abuse, and two or more traumatic incidents occurred.

"I am enormously grateful to the jury for its guilty verdict and look forward to sentencing in this case," Neronha added. "The Hasbro Children’s Hospital staff, the Department of Children, Youth, and Families and the Johnston Police Department all did fine work here, and I am grateful to them as well."

Following the evaluation, hospital staff alerted the Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF). The infant was then placed into DCYF care.

"Cases involving the physical abuse of children are some of the most heartbreaking that the men and women of the Johnston Police Department investigate," Johnston Police Chief Mark Vieira said. "Our thoughts are with the victim and his family at this time, and hope that this verdict can bring a sense of justice to them following an incredibly traumatic experience."

De La Rosa must also undergo mental health and anger treatment and abide by a no-contact order with the victim.