The man accused of killing his girlfriend’s toddler son pleaded not guilty to assault and murder charges on Thursday.
McArvin Caringal-Sanchez, 20, was arrested Monday after the nearly two-year-old boy was found unresponsive.
The San Diego Police Department received a call Monday and responded to a home on the 2900 block of Morton Way in the Bay Terraces concerning a toddler not breathing. Upon arrival, officers performed lifesaving measures on the young boy before he was taken to a nearby hospital and later pronounced dead.
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The child was found to have "serious traumatic internal injuries that were indicative of child abuse," SDPD Lt. Jud Campbell said.
The toddler lived with his mother and Caringal-Sanchez, detectives said.
The boy would have turned two years old this weekend.
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More than a dozen of the victim’s family members attended the arraignment hearing.
NBC7 spoke with the boy's mother and father, Edgar Soto, outside a downtown courtroom following the hearing. They did not wish to identify their son at this time.
Soto said he last saw his son on Saturday, two days before the incident. He described his son as smiley, polite, and interested in cars and the show "Blues Clues."
"We always do this thing where I say, 'bye.' I blow him a little kiss, and he blew one back," Soto said. "I'm just thankful that was the last thing I'd do with him. I just didn't know that would be the last."
Soto also told reporters he believed Caringal-Sanchez was a good man and was not abusing his son.
A judge denied Caringal-Sanchez’s bail.
Caringal-Sanchez could face 25 years to life in prison if convicted of murder and assault on a child causing death charges, according to an assistant district attorney on the prosecution team.
