Two men have pleaded guilty in connection to the death of the 1-year-old who ingested a fatal amount of fentanyl at a
Kingsbridge day care. Herrera Garcia, 35, pleaded guilty on Monday and 38-year-old Renny Antonio Parra Paredes pleaded guilty back on May 23.
Both were charged with conspiracy to distribute resulting in death and serious bodily injury.
Officials say four children were exposed to fentanyl at El Divino Nino Day Care on Sept. 15. Authorities believe the center was a front for an extensive drug trafficking operation. One-year-old Nicholas Dominici died as a result of fentanyl exposure.
The drug bust led investigators to discover over 10 kilograms of narcotics hidden inside secret compartments beneath the floor of the daycare's playroom. Former daycare owner Grei Mendez and Carlisto Acevedo Brito also currently face multiple charges.
The superintendent of a neighboring building tells News 12 that even though he's been around for over two decades, he's still stunned about what took place.
"I got to spend time with them in the yard. We even got to do a barbecue. And nothing ever seemed to be wrong," said superintendent Juan. "They didn't show that they were apart of that at all."
“Today, on the morning his trial was set to begin in Manhattan Federal Court, Felix Herrera Garcia pled guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute Narcotics Resulting in Death and other federal charges for causing the fatal fentanyl ingestion of 22-month-old Nicholas Dominici and the injury to three other babies at the Divino Nino Day Care Center in the Bronx on September 15, 2023," DA Darcel Clark said in a statement. "Herrera Garcia has now been held accountable in the tragic loss of little Nicholas, the serious injury of Abel, and the harm to Kiara and Jaziel.”
Garcia and Paredes both face possible lifelong prison sentences.
EDITOR'S NOTE: An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified the suspect who pleaded guilty as Carlisto Acevedo-Brito.