Lubbock Man Arrested After Assaulting 7-Week-Old Baby

LUBBOCK, TX – A 27-year-old Lubbock man has been charged with aggravated assault after he allegedly beat his 7-week-old son multiple times.

According to law enforcement, on September 14, 2020 the Lubbock Police Department received a call from the Fort Worth PD regarding a Lubbock-based family.

According to FWPD, the weeks-old baby boy had been flown to Cook’s Children’s Medical Center from Knox County Hospital after suffering from a broken humerus and multiple other fractures. 

While examining the baby, hospital staff determined the vast majority of the child's ribs were fractured.

The baby also had a fractured finger, a fractured big toe, a fractured right clavicle, a fractured humerus, and hemorrhaging of blood vessels in both eyes -- which is evidence of strangulation.

According to the report, some injuries were new and some were already healing.

During the course of the investigation, 27-year-old Santiago Espinal-Orduna admitted to the abuse in a signed written statement.

In the statement, the suspect detailed multiple incidents that led to extensive damage that his son suffered.

#1: Espinal-Orduna stepped on the infant’s foot while he was laying on the floor. 

#2: Espinal-Orduna fed the baby one day after work and burped him. The baby wouldn't stop crying, so he squeezed him repeatedly on the ribs four or five times.

#3: During a two-week period while his wife was working, Espinal-Orduna became frustrated and angry and choked the baby 5 or 6 times.

#4: While bathing the baby one day, as Espinal-Orduna was grabbing the  shampoo and sponge, the baby  fell from his bath chair and fell face and head first "pretty hard."

#5: Espinal-Orduna picked up the baby by one arm and carried him like a football.

#6: Espinal-Orduna's daughter also yanked n the infant’s arm and jerked him. The next day the infant was unable to move his arm.

This last incident prompted the suspect to take the baby to the Knox County Hospital to get tested and x-rayed. When FWPD interviewed Espinal-Orduna, he said stated they lived in Lubbock and had been visiting his parents in Knox City when the baby had to be airlifted.

Espinal-Orduna was arrested and booked into the Lubbock County Detention Center on February 8. His bond has been set to $200,000.