FREEHOLD – A Wall man who is already behind bars for violently abusing his toddler son has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for killing his six-week-old daughter, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago announced on Monday.
On March 9, 2019, Wall Township police responded to a residence regarding an unresponsive infant, Santiago said. An investigation determined 26-year-old Austin Meli, the father, had been caring for the baby at the time. She was pronounced dead at Ocean University Medical Center in Brick.
Further investigation found that Meli had smothered the baby to get her to stop crying, Santiago said, resulting in death by asphyxiation. Meli told the baby’s mother that he was angry that the infant threw up all over him, according to Ellyn Rajfer, an assistant prosecutor on the case.
The mother also provided to the court recordings of conversations between her and Meli, where Meli admitted that he had smothered his daughter twice on the day she died, and the second time she did not wake up.
While investigating the infant’s death, authorities uncovered video footage from the bedroom Meli shared with the mother of his children, showing Meli on March 7, 2019 — just days before he suffocated his daughter — hitting his older child in the head and knocking him into his playpen, according to court documents. He then picked up the toddler by the neck, shook him violently and threw him around.
Meli pleaded guilty to aggravated assault on his son on Oct. 29, 2019.
On March 13, 2020, Meli was sentenced — while awaiting trial in his daughter’s murder — to 10 years in prison for second-degree aggravated assault, two counts of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, and fourth-degree tampering with physical evidence for the crimes committed upon his then-15 month-old son, according to Santiago.
Meli then pleaded guilty to first-degree aggravated manslaughter in connection with his daughter’s death onFeb. 10 this year.
Meli was sentenced Friday before Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Joseph W. Oxley, Santiago said. He is required to serve 85% of his sentence before being eligible for parole, and it will run consecutive to the sentence Meli is already serving, which means he must first finish the sentence for the assault on his son before the clock starts on this new sentence.
More on this case:Wall dad admitted shocking attack on son; new recording led to charge he killed baby girl
Jenna Calderón covers breaking news and cold cases in Monmouth and Ocean counties. Before coming to the Press, she covered The Queen City for Cincinnati Magazine in Ohio. Contact her at 330-590-3903; [email protected]