Hempstead man pleads guilty in daughter's death

A Hempstead man has pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree manslaughter, admitting he beat to death his 6-week-old daughter in 2007.

Under the terms of the agreement Wednesday, Juan Rodriguez, 35, will be sentenced to 19 years in prison when he appears in Bronx Supreme Court on Nov. 17.

Prosecutors said Rodriguez admitted he covered the mouth of Giovanna Marie Rodriguez with his hand, grabbed her around the neck with his other, then slammed her into her crib, causing fatal head injuries.

The infant was found at the bottom of a trash chute in a Bronx apartment building.

The girl's mother, Maribel Caceres, pleaded guilty in May 2007 to hindering prosecution and illegally disposing of the body. She was sentenced to six months in jail and five years' probation, according to Bronx District Attorney Robert T. Johnson. Police said the girl was found in a trash chute on Willis Avenue.