FILE – Police at a crime scene
Photo by Lloyd Mitchell
An East Village man was convicted Monday of causing the death of his 2-year-old son from cocaine and fentanyl intoxication nearly five years ago.
Anthony Rosa, 56, was found guilty at his jury trial on March 23 of second-degree manslaughter and second-degree aggravated harassment. Prosecutors with the Manhattan District Attorney’s office said that Rosa had allowed his toddler son, Charlie Rosa-Velloso, to ingest lethal doses of the drugs while under his care as his mother gave birth in a local hospital.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said an autopsy would determine that Rosa-Velloso had 10 times the amount of fentanyl typically used for medical purposes.
“Rosa was fully aware of the hazards and knew that under ACS supervision, he was not allowed to be alone with his son,” Bragg said in a statement. “The single day Rosa and Charlie were alone – while Rosa’s wife gave birth to the brother Charlie will never meet – Charlie ingested enough fentanyl to kill an adult.”
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.Photo by Lloyd Mitchell
Prosecutors said Rosa was supervising his son in the waiting room of the hospital where the youngster’s mother and Rosa’s wife was giving birth on June 16, 2021. After drinking from a blue baby bottle, authorities said, Rosa-Velloso, who had been playing earlier, became lethargic.
Rosa took the child home at about 10 p.m. that evening. At about 3 a.m. the next morning, Rosa’s wife texted him about the birth of their second son; prosecutors said he responded and then shared photos with family and friends.
But an hour later, according to court documents, Rosa alerted security at the shelter where he was saying that Charlie was unconscious and unresponsive. EMS were called to the scene and rushed Rosa-Velloso to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead two hours later.
Tests of the bottle from which Rosa-Velloso had drunk were found to have cocaine and fentanyl. Fentanyl was also found in a water bottle next to the baby bottle in the youngster’s stroller.
An autopsy revealed that Charlie died from acute intoxication of cocaine and fentanyl, which he had ingested between four and six hours before he died.
Rosa is scheduled to return to Manhattan Supreme Court on March 29 for sentencing. For the top charge of second-degree manslaughter, he faces between five and 15 years behind bars.