Zion teen pleads guilty to killing infant son
A Zion teen pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count of first-degree murder for killing his son when the infant wouldn't stop crying.
Victor Salinas-Corona, 18, will be sentenced to 20 years to 30 years in prison when he appears before Judge Mark Levitt in Lake County court on Aug. 14. He remains held in Lake County jail in lieu of $2 million bail.
Prosecutors dropped nine varying counts of murder and capped the maximum prison sentence against Salinas-Corona at 30 years in exchange for the plea deal.
Authorities said Salinas-Corona was watching his 5-month-old son, Ayden, on Feb. 26, 2013, when he became enraged because the baby wouldn't stop crying.
Assistant State's Attorney Jim Newman said in court Tuesday that Salinas-Corona wrapped the infant tightly in a blanket, then struck his head on the side of a metal crib. The hit caused Ayden to suffer a large skull fracture, Newman said.
Ayden died at Vista East Medical Center in Waukegan early the next morning.
Aurora Escamilla, 20, of Beach Park, Ayden's mother, faces child endangerment charges for leaving the baby with Salinas-Corona the night of his death.
Attorneys for both sides have said they have been waiting for the case against Salinas-Corona to be resolved before working out a plea deal for Escamilla. She remains free from jail after posting the required 10 percent of her $100,000 bond.