Published on: Thursday, February 14, 2013

By Shannon McHale

ROCKVILLE , Md. – Fourteen-year-old Jonathan Aguiluc is charged for the first-degree murder of his seven-month-old sister, Larissa Yanes, and is being held by Maryland District Court Judge Karla Smith without bond.

If convicted, Aguiluc faces life in prison.

Smith recommended Aguiluc be transferred to the Alfred D. Noyes Children’s Center in Rockville until his preliminary hearing Feb. 22.

Aguiluc’s mother, 39-year-old Gloria Yanes, left Aguiluc to care for his sister and three-year-old brother at 10:30 p.m. last Thursday while she worked a night shift. Yanes returned to the apartment at 11640 Lockwood Dr. in Silver Spring at 5:30 a.m. the next morning and found the baby in her car seat. Yanes told police she thought Larissa was sleeping until she tried to feed her at six a.m. and was unable to wake the unresponsive infant.

Yanes immediately called police and Larissa was rushed to Holy Cross Hospital, where she was pronounced dead at 6:54 a.m.

A preliminary investigation found injuries on the infant’s body that could not have been self-inflicted, and detectives from the Montgomery County Police Department began investigating the conditions of her death. Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy said Monday that the medical examiner found Larissa’s injuries to be post-mortem bug bites and not bruises.

Aguiluc, however, told detectives Friday that he had beaten Larissa with his hands, elbows, and belt until she began to cry. He covered her nose and mouth until she stopped crying and walked around the apartment with her before putting her into her car seat and going to bed.

Aguiluc appeared on Monday afternoon in front of Smith for bond review. Deputy District Public Defender Mary Siegfried, who is representing Aguiluc, asked in open court that her client be transferred to Noyes due to his age and clean prior record.

“He’s not a problem,” she said. “He goes to school every day.” Aguiluc will have access to education and mental health services tailored to juveniles at the center.

Assistant State’s Attorney Deborah Feinstein said the state “isn’t objecting a transfer to Noyes,” but asked Smith to remember that Aguiluc was initially charged as an adult as mandated by Maryland law for defendants charged with first-degree murder.

Siegfried said the defense will seek for Aguiluc to be tried as a juvenile. A waiver hearing will likely occur after the preliminary hearing on Feb. 22.

McCarthy told reporters Monday afternoon that the state has only 15 days to indict the case because of Aguiluc’s age.