An Inwood man was sentenced to 21 years to life in prison for murdering his two-month-old daughter in March 2025.
On March 7, 2025, at approximately 11:00 a.m., Marlon Rabanales Pretzantzin, alone at home with his 14-month-old son and two-month-old daughter, Liseyda Rabanales-Barrios, slapped his daughter in the face, punched the child in the stomach repeatedly, picked her up and shook her violently.
Rabanales Pretzantzin also dropped the child from a standing position onto a bed and pressed his body weight into the child, pushing her down. After the child became unresponsive, he took her to a neighboring apartment. The neighbor called 911 and emergency services responded to the residence.
The child was taken to St. John’s Episcopal Hospital and later to Cohen Children’s Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead. The child suffered contusions to the head, several rib fractures, severe hemorrhaging in the neck area, and a dislocated C5 and C6 vertebrae.
Rabanales Pretzantzin, 21, was arrested on March 12, 2025, by members of the Nassau County Police Department. He pleaded guilty on March 31, 2026, before Judge Robert Schwartz to Murder in the Second Degree (a Class A-I felony).
On May 21, 2026, Rabanales Pretzantzin was sentenced to 21 years to life in prison. The Nassau County District Attorney’s Office recommended a sentence of 24 years to life in prison.
“This sentencing is a somber conclusion to a case defined by unimaginable cruelty,” said Nassau DA Anne Donnelly. “Little Liseyda represented the very essence of innocence, and she deserved nothing less than the protection of her father. Instead, the defendant met her vulnerability with a level of violence that is difficult to put into words. He failed her and his duty as her father. My office stands firm in our commitment to seeking justice for those who cannot speak for themselves.”