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Man Found Guilty of Beating Girlfriend's 3-Year-Old Son to Death in East Hanover Hotel
Edwin Urbina, a 29-year-old man formerly of Morristown, New Jersey, has been found guilty on all charges related to the beating death of his girlfriend's three-year-old son. The verdict was delivered by a jury on March 1, 2023, after a seven-day trial. Urbina was found guilty of first-degree murder, three counts of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, third-degree hindering apprehension or prosecution, two counts of third-degree tampering with a witness, and fourth-degree tampering with evidence. The sentencing has been scheduled for March 16, 2023, before Honorable Stephen J. Taylor, P.J.Cr., and Urbina will remain in custody until that time.
The incident occurred on August 13, 2021, when officers from the Morristown Police Department responded to the Morristown Medical Center in Morristown on a report of a three-year-old boy in cardiac arrest. After an investigation, it was revealed that the child had sustained physical injuries and was fatally beaten by Urbina in the early morning hours of August 13, 2021, at the OYO Hotel in East Hanover, New Jersey. The murder was witnessed by the victim's five-year-old sibling.
Further investigation revealed that the victim's mother, Krystal Straw, was not present during the assault but arrived at the hotel shortly after. After the victim's death, both Urbina and Straw engaged in conduct to hinder the state's investigation, including removing Urbina and his personal belongings from the OYO Hotel, deleting cell phone content, and informing the victim's five-year-old sibling not to speak about the incident. The investigation also revealed that Urbina had physically abused the victim on prior occasions.
On August 17, 2021, Urbina was taken into custody outside the Morris County Records and Administration Building in Morristown, New Jersey. Straw had previously been charged and arrested on August 13, 2021, in connection with this incident. On January 12, 2023, Straw appeared before Judge Taylor and entered an open plea of guilty to two counts of second-degree endangering welfare of a child, three counts of third-degree hindering apprehension, third-degree tampering with a witness, and fourth-degree tampering with physical evidence. Straw will remain in custody until her sentencing hearing, which is also scheduled before Judge Taylor on March 16, 2023.
Morris County Prosecutor Robert J. Carroll, First Assistant Prosecutor Maggie Calderwood, and Chief of Detectives Robert McNally thanked the agencies that participated in the investigation that led to the successful guilty verdict. The East Hanover Police Department, the Morristown Police Department, the Morris County Sheriff's Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Essex County Prosecutor's Office, the Morris County Medical Examiner's Office, and various Units in the Morris County Prosecutor's Office worked together to investigate this incident leading to the guilty verdict. The prosecutor also thanked Assistant Prosecutor Tara Wang and Senior Assistant Prosecutor Kelly Sandler, who tried this case in court, and MCPO Detective Matthew Belcastro and East Hanover Det. Lt. Andrew Underwood for their outstanding efforts in the prosecution of this case.
