Fresno couple plead not guilty to murder of infant son in Long Beach
A couple charged with murder in the death of their month-old son in Long Beach have pleaded not guilty, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.
Joshua Licon, 28, and Nereyda Licon, 32, both of Fresno, each face one count of murder.
Joshua Licon also pleaded not guilty to one misdemeanor count of disobeying a court-imposed restraining order. Prosecutors did not elaborate on the violation.
On May 30, 2013, paramedics responded to a hotel in the 200 block of South Pine Avenue. In one of the guest rooms, emergency personnel found an unresponsive baby, prosecutors said.
The male infant was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Investigators with the L.A. County coroner’s office deemed it a “sudden unexplained infant death.”
The baby, identified as Joshua L. Jr., had been significantly undernourished, which contributed to his death, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Amy Wilton.
After a nearly yearlong investigation, the Licons were arrested March 31 at an apartment in Fresno and were brought back to Southern California earlier this month to face charges.
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