Fil-Am accused of killing girlfriend’s 2-year-old son

Adrian Dominic Soto. Image: GoFundMe

SAN DIEGO – A Filipino American, who has been accused of causing fatal injuries to his girlfriend’s toddler son last summer in the Bay Terraces neighborhood, was ordered Friday to stand trial on charges that include murder.

McArvin Sanchez Caringal, 21, is accused of fatally injuring Adrian Dominic Soto, who would have turned 2 years old about a week after his death.

Police were called on the afternoon of June 12 to a home on Morton Way for a call of a child who was not breathing. The boy was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

According to SDPD Lt. Jud Campbell, the child was found to have “serious traumatic internal injuries that were indicative of child abuse.”

Caringal was arrested less than a day after Adrian’s death.

Prosecutors allege Caringal, who was watching the boy at the home while the child’s mother was at work, initially told police that the boy struck his head against a bed frame. He later told investigators varying versions of the events before stating that he threw the boy to the floor because Caringal was irritated that the child was crying and fussy, according to preliminary hearing testimony.

Dr. Greg Pizarro, deputy medical examiner for San Diego County, testified that he ruled Adrian’s death a homicide because it was “very unlikely” that the skull fractures and blunt force injuries to the boy’s head
could be self-inflicted by a child his age.

At the conclusion of the preliminary hearing, San Diego Superior Court Judge Peter Deddeh held Caringal to answer for murder and assault on a child causing death. Caringal remains in custody without bail.

A GoFundMe was set up for the families of Adrian Dominic Soto to help raise money for funeral expenses “to  celebrate his life and say our last goodbyes,” according to Sydelle Rea Arcitio, one of Soto’s godmothers.

“Adrian was a beautiful, vibrant baby boy who loved spending time with his family, watching Mickey Mouse, and eating bananas,” Arcitio wrote. “From his laughter to his mesmerizing smile, he captured the hearts of everyone who came to know him.” (With CNS report)