Mother of infant killed in fall testifies at father’s murder trial

JERSEY CITY, N.J. (AP) -- The mother of an infant killed when his father allegedly pushed them from a third-floor window has testified that she doesn't remember the fatal fall.

The Jersey Journal reports Saydee Figueroa took the stand Tuesday at the trial of 22-year-old Jersey City resident Frederico Bruno. He's charged with murder in the July 2012 death of his 3-month-old son, Damien, and attempted murder of Figueroa and her roommate, Madelyn Calderon.

Hudson County prosecutors say Bruno let himself into the apartment where the women lived and hid. When they entered the unit with the child, Bruno allegedly stabbed Calderon in the face and body with a meat cleaver and stabbed Figueroa in the neck.

Figueroa said she grabbed the child to protect him, but Bruno got another knife and told her he was going to kill her. Figueroa said she tried to close the bedroom door, but said Bruno repeatedly punched her in the face and she blacked out.

Hudson County authorities have said Figueroa was holding the infant in her arms when Bruno shoved her and child. They say the two were propelled through the window to the ground three stories below, along with an air conditioner that was mounted in the window.

During opening statements last week, prosecutors said Figueroa had suffered brain damage in the attack.

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