A Paterson couple has been indicted after a 4-year-old girl died from blunt force trauma in May, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes said.
An autopsy determined the child's death was a homicide, Valdes said. The girl was found unresponsive around 8:45 p.m. on May 6 near Pearl Street and Carroll Street in Paterson and was pronounced dead at 9:33 p.m. at Saint Joseph's University Medical Center.
The investigation determined that the child's father, Givenchy Stewart, 21, and his girlfriend, Ashanti Givens, 21, had left her unattended in a Paterson apartment for significant periods on May 5 and May 6, Valdes said.
Givens is charged with first-degree murder, two counts of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, and third-degree hindering apprehension, Valdes said. Stewart is charged with second-degree endangering the welfare of a child and third-degree hindering, she said.
Both remain detained pending trial and are scheduled for arraignment on Sept. 8 before Superior Court Judge Marybel Mercado-Ramirez, Valdes said.
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