Jennifer Millman

Father Pleads Guilty in Christmas Eve Toddler Whipping Death in Bug-, Rodent-Infested Home

When investigators went to the home Dec. 24, 2016, they encountered a horrifying scene -- bugs flying in the fridge and rodent droppings everywhere

What to Know

  • Blair Robinson confessed to repeatedly whipping and beating his 2-year-old son, then taking a nap and going to work on Dec. 24, 2016
  • He came home after about 90 minutes and brought the boy to the ER, but he couldn't be saved; the child died of blunt force trauma
  • Investigators encountered a horrifying scene at the home -- bugs flying in the fridge and rodent droppings littering kitchen surfaces

A 26-year-old Yonkers man has pleaded guilty to a charge of first-degree manslaughter in the Christmas Eve beating death of his 2-year-old son, who suffered brain hemorrhages and organ damage from repeated beatings.

Blair Robinson faces up to 25 years in state prison when he is sentenced in December. Three days after little Alex died, prosecutors say Blair Robinson confessed to police that he had kicked, whipped and beaten his son in the head and torso the afternoon the child died. After the beating, Robinson took a nap, went to work for an hour and a half and then came home to pick up his son and take him to the emergency room, where he was pronounced dead, officials say.

At the time the boy died, it wasn't obvious what caused his death, but hospital personnel saw bruises on his back and called police. When investigators went to the Robinson home, they encountered a horrifying scene: the toddler's 10-month-old sister in a cold room on a mattress with no sheets, a bottle of curdled milk beside her. The child was dirty and suffering from a terrible diaper rash. 

According to investigators, the apartment was filthy and rodent droppings littered the kitchen surfaces. Bugs flew around inside the refrigerator. The baby was sent to Westchester Medical Center and put in the care of Child Protective Services. The infant's mother was also home at the time. She and Robinson were interviewed by police. In the initial interview, prosecutors say Robinson said he only hit his son, Alex, one time on his buttocks. 

He admitted the extent of the beating days later, after an autopsy revealed Alex Robinson died of blunt force trauma. The boy also had about nine marks on his back that appeared to have been pattern injuries caused by some kind of instrument that had been used to repeatedly strike him. 

Robinson remains remanded. It wasn't immediately clear if the mother was ever charged in connection with the unsanitary living conditions. 

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