NJ man guilty of killing wife and baby — says she belittled his manhood

VINELAND — A man accused of strangling his estranged wife and suffocating her infant daughter over a taunt about the size of his penis has been convicted on two counts of murder.

A Cumberland County jury also found Ricardo Carrillo-Santiago guilty Thursday on two counts of unlawful disposal of human remains in the deaths of Neidy Ramirez and three-month old Genesis Ramirez. Their bodies were found in December 2015 at a Cumberland nature preserve in Fairfield.

His lawyer had argued Carrillo-Santiago was a devoted spouse who was pushed into a blind rage by taunts Ramirez made about his manhood, saying that she preferred another man and telling him "that his is bigger than yours."

The woman had a temporary restraining order against Carrillo-Santiago that expired shortly before the slayings.

Relatives of the woman had reported her missing on Dec. 1, 2015. Police found her car abandoned near Exit 45 on Route 55.

Investigators say Carrillo-Santiago killed his wife and her baby at their Quince Street apartment. His attorney argued that the baby's death was an accident.

The 37-year-old Millville man faces consecutive life terms without the chance for parole when he's sentenced later this year.

Ramirez was the mother of three, including one fathered by Carrillo-Santiago.

EDITOR'S NOTE: An earlier version of this article should have spelled the defendant's first name as Ricardo.