Las Cruces man charged in death of his infant son

A man accused of killing his infant son was indicted last week by a grand jury.

Joseph Parra, 31, is charged with reckless abuse of a child resulting in death, for the death of his five-month-old son, Apollo Parra.

According to the criminal complaint, on July 7 Parra was with his 5-month-old child from about 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. During that period the child suffered trauma to the chest and an eye, allegedly inflicted by Parra.

It was the child's mother who called for medical help to be sent to the 8700 block of N. Valley Drive when she found the baby unresponsive and not breathing.

The child was taken to University Medical Center and transferred to El Paso Children's Hospital where it was determined he suffered brain damage and was placed on ventilator and listed in critical condition, according to the complaint.

The child later died, according to the indictment that was filed on July 18.

Investigators alleged Parra was "intoxicated" when they questioned him about the circumstances of the child's injuries, finding empty alcohol bottles inside the residence when it was searched along with evidence of marijuana use.

In a hearing on July 11, 3rd Judicial District Judge Douglas Driggers allowed Parra to leave jail on a $40,000 bond to live with family in Arizona.

There is an video arraignment hearing scheduled for July 29.

Jason Groves can be reached at 575-541-5459 or jgroves@lcsun-news.com. Follow him on X @jpgroves.

This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Las Cruces man charged in death of his infant son