Omar Arias was found hanging from a shower curtain rod in the Crown Motor Inn at 74-01 Queens Blvd. at about 1:30 a.m. after…
By Tien-Shun Lee
A father hanged his 2-year-old boy to death with an electrical cord in the bathroom of an Elmhurst motel Saturday, police said.
Omar Arias was found hanging from a shower curtain rod in the Crown Motor Inn at 74-01 Queens Blvd. at about 1:30 a.m. after his father, Juan Batista, of 35-28 99th St. in Corona, told a night desk clerk at the motel to call the cops because he had killed somebody, police said.
Arias was taken to Elmhurst General Hospital for examination, along with his father. Batista was charged with murder and was placed under psychiatric observation, police said.
According to published reports, Omar’s mother, Alexandra Arias, who lives in New Britain, Conn., was also taken to Elmhurst General Hospital where she was treated for shock.
Alexandra Arias had left her son under Batista’s care at Batista’s mother’s house in Corona Friday, a police source told Newsday. Several hours later, Batista flew into a rage after he saw his ex-wife with another man when he was bringing their child back to her, Newsday said.
Batista then returned to his mother’s house where he told his sister that he would be back in 10 minutes and then left with his son, the newspaper said.
Reach reporter Tien-Shun Lee by e-mail at Timesledger@aol.com, or call 718-229-0300, ext. 155.
