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NYC father drowned son in bathtub, fed daughter poisoned pizza, report says
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(CBS) Police have questioned the New York City father who allegedly drowned his son in a bathtub and sickened his daughter with rat poison early Wednesday following his separation from his wife, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Investigators said 47-year-old Leonardo Espinal told them that he fed his 7-year-old daughter, Mia, a poisoned slice of pizza and then drowned his 5-year-old son, Stewart, while the children visited his Bronx home.
Police said the boy was pronounced dead at a hospital, and his sister was listed in critical but stable condition. An official told the Wall Street Journal that Espinal is expected to be charged in the death of his son.
Espinal's estranged wife, 30-year-old Rosaura Abreu, and his stepmother separately called 911 around 1:30 a.m. Wednesday and reported that he locked himself in the bathroom of his stepmother's apartment with his son and wouldn't come out, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Police arrived at the apartment and forced their way into the bathroom where they reportedly discovered Espinal in the bathtub with his son lying motionless on top of him. The official said Mia had been vomiting.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Espinal allegedly threatened to hurt Abreu and kill himself following their separation on Oct. 24 when she asked him to leave the home they shared with their children.
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