A 30-year-old New Jersey man has been arrested on a charge of first-degree murder in the case of a 2-year-old child who died about two months ago, prosecutors in Passaic County said Thursday.
Ricard Rivera, of Paterson, also is accused of child endangerment in the Oct. 20 death of the unidentified toddler. Ricardo was taken into custody a day ago.
Autopsy results on the child determined the death to be a homicide and the cause to be blunt force trauma. An investigation was launched, leading to Rivera's arrest. Prosecutors didn't give additional information on his relationship to the child.
Rivera faces up to life in state prison with no possibility of parole if convicted on the top charge. He is being held at the Passaic County Jail pending a hearing for pretrial detention. Information on a possible attorney for him wasn't available.
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