Queens Man Accused Of Burning Girlfriend's Baby Arraigned

A Queens man was arraigned Thursday on charges he intentionally poured scalding water on his girlfriend's 11-month-old daughter. Anthony Parra, 20, is charged with assault and endangering the welfare of a child. The little girl is said to be in critical condition and on a ventilator. Queens District Attorney Richard Brown says Para left the baby in a running shower Wednesday morning because she was crying, and then turned up the temperature twice. He also says Parra took hotter water from the kitchen sink and poured it on the baby. He also allegedly put cream and alcohol on the baby's burns before taking her to New York Hospital Medical Center of Queens. She is said to have suffered severe burns to more than 30 percent of her body. Parra was babysitting the little girl and her two-year-old sister while their mother was at work. According to his attorney, Parra observed his girlfriend running shower water over the baby to calm her down on previous occasions. He also says police pressured his client to admit he poured the hot water on the girl. "He made several statements and he indicated to my client that he made several statements and apparently the statement that they wrote down was what they wanted to hear, this is what he told me," said Parra's attorney, Paul Franchise. Meanwhile, Parra's neighbors in Jackson Heights say he kept to himself and were surprised when they heard the news. "This is the first time that anything like this has happened in this neighborhood, so I'm a little surprised," said one neighbor. "This little baby is defenseless and under the care, this person's baby, under his power, I mean, you just don't do that," said another. Parra's attorney says he will continue to fight for bail. His next court date is scheduled for June 7. If convicted, Parra faces up to 25 years in prison.