Utah man sent to prison for abusing infant

A 45-year-old Midvale man has been sentenced to prison for abusing his girlfriend's infant son.

Juan Manuel Duran Jr. was charged in 3rd District Court with attempted aggravated murder and aggravated sexual abuse of a child, both first-degree felonies, along with five counts of second-degree felony child abuse.

Duran pleaded guilty in October to a lesser second-degree felony count of attempted child-abuse homicide, and two counts — one a second-degree felony, the other a third-degree felony — of intentional child abuse resulting in serious injury. In exchange for his pleas, the other counts were dismissed.

On Thursday, Judge Charlene Barlow sentenced Duran to serve up to 20 years at the Utah State Prison.

Police were called to an apartment located at 7923 S. Main Street on July 12, where Duran's girlfriend told police that she saw the man trying to suffocate her 6-month-old son with a towel, according to court documents.

The woman told police that Duran told her earlier that he wished the child was dead, and that he should "just throw him out the f—-ing window."

When the infant was taken to a local hospital, a pediatrician determined that the boy had been abused for weeks, and that the abuse could have killed or disabled him. The baby had bruises to his head, bite marks around his chest, and bruises on his spine, among other injuries, according to court records.

The woman told police that Duran had been living with her at the Midvale apartment for about a month, and watched the child frequently while she was working. She told police that she was aware Duran was abusing her child, but did not report it because she was fearful for her own well-being.

Prosecutors also charged the mother with intentional child abuse, a second-degree felony, for not reporting the alleged abuse.

jmiller@sltrib.com

Twitter: @jm_miller