Teen who confessed to baby murder brought to Bellevue

UPDATED at 4:32 pm 5/5/11

The teen who confessed to beating a 9-month-old baby to death has been admitted to Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan.

"On Wednesday night, Mr. Quirindongo was taken from the station house to Bellevue for psychiatric evaluation. After learning that the baby died and that he would be charged with murder he became very distraught," 50th Precinct Deputy Inspector Brandon del Pozo said.

Martin Quirindongo is expected to remain at Bellevue until sometime next week, at which point he will be taken to Bronx Criminal Court for arraignment, a source from the Bronx District Attorney's office said.

Police sources said Mr. Quirindongo, 17, "confessed on tape to hitting, biting and crushing the child," and was "remorseful" when he was brought into custody on Tuesday.

"He never denied striking the kid. He confessed to 9-1-1," a police source said.

Following yesterday's ruling by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner that baby Ryan Ferrer was murdered on Tuesday, Mr. Quirindongo was charged with murder with depraved indifference and manslaughter with intent to cause physical injury.

Ryan was pronounced dead at Montefiore Medical Center Tuesday morning after suffering injuries while in the care of Mr. Quirindongo, who is on parole for robbery through 2012, police sources said.

The baby was discovered with blunt force injuries to the chest and a bruised rib cage and was pronounced dead at 11:17 a.m. The medical examiner determined that Ryan suffered brain hemorrhaging and internal bruising.

The teen, who was caring for the infant in an apartment on the ninth floor of the Marble Hill Houses, at 69 W. 225th St., was taken into custody at the scene.

Police said the baby’s mother was late for work and waiting for her regular sitter when she left her child with the suspect. A neighbor told police she heard a commotion coming from the apartment after the baby started to cry.

“She had to leave so she could make a living," a police source said. “She’s devastated.”

The teen had been with the baby for less than an hour when Mr. Quirindongo called 9-1-1 to report an assault and eventually said a baby needed medical attention, police said.

“Police closed off every block between the building and Montefiore to try and get the baby to the hospital in time,” a police source said.