A Deer Park woman is pleading not guilty to charges she fatally shook her baby niece hard enough to change the placement of the girl's brain.
Paola Baez pleaded not guilty at her arraignment Friday on manslaughter charges. Judge Gerard Asher ordered her held on $300,000 bail.
Family members would not comment outside of court. Defense lawyer Joel Salinger said Baez "vehemently defends her innocence."
Prosecutors say Baez was taking care of her niece while her sister was at work. She and her husband took the baby to the hospital where they at first told staff that the girl fell from a swing. Prosecutors say Baez eventually admitted shaking the girl.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
