Charges upgraded against death of child

Prosecutors have upgraded charges to first-degree murder against a Chicago couple accused of smothering their infant daughter to stop her from crying.

Rigoberto "Rico" Rodriguez, 29, and Angela Petrov, 21, initially faced charges of aggravated battery to a child after their 5-month-old daughter was found unresponsive April 11 in the mother's home in the West Ridge neighborhood.

Angelina Rodriguez suffered brain swelling because of a lack of oxygen, prosecutors said. She died four days after she was removed from life support. 

Prosecutors said the parents denied harming their child but they eventually confessed that Rodriguez repeatedly put his hand over Angelina's mouth to stop her from crying while Petrov, in the same room, did nothing to intervene.

Later, after awakening from a nap, the couple said they tried to revive the baby inside the home on the 2500 block of Fitch Avenue by throwing water in her face and administering cardiopulmonary resuscitation before Petrov called 911, according to court records.

The girl was taken to St. Francis Hospital in Evanston before being moved to Lurie Children’s Hospital, where she died after being baptized at her parents' request, the records stated.

Medical personnel noted the baby’s injuries were consistent with a hand being placed over the mouth and blocking the airway, according to court records.

The records also state that the baby's 6-year-old sibling told police he witnessed Rodriguez place his hand over Angelina's mouth several times in the past as well as that morning as a way to quiet her. 

He also told police his mother "sat in the chair and did nothing" during the incident, records showed.

State child welfare officials have placed the boy and a 2-year-old sibling in a temporary foster home under a safety plan. 

The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services had been investigating the family since a Jan. 29 hotline call involving possible abuse to the older boy, who is the only one of the three children who is not Rodriguez's biological child.
 
The boy had marks on his neck that appeared to be "rope burns," according to court documents. DCFS had determined the allegations were unfounded. 

Rodriguez has a prior criminal history for domestic battery and resisting arrest, records showed. He was diagnosed with bipolar disorder but told police he had stopped taking his medication. 

Petrov has no criminal history. Records showed she dropped out of eighth grade, when she had her first child.
 
cmgutowski@tribune.com

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