Father Accused of Killing Baby in Bond Court
Janus Saintil was denied bond on most charges Saturday after authorities said they found the body of his two-month-old child in the trunk of a car
Janus Saintil, 24, faces charges of murder, carjacking, kidnapping, robbery and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. He was denied bond on every count except the aggravated battery charge.
The man accused of killing his two-month old son that was found dead inside the trunk of a car appeared in bond court Saturday.
Janus Saintil, 24, faces charges of murder, carjacking, kidnapping, robbery and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. He was denied bond on every count except the aggravated battery charge.
The body of Saintil’s son, Josiah Saintil, was found shortly after the Broward Sheriff’s Office issued an Amber Alert for the infant Friday afternoon.
The judge Saturday read the incident report and said officials found the baby in a car seat underneath a diaper bag and blanket in the trunk. He said the infant was "cold to the touch and foaming at the nose and mouth," according to the report.
Broward Sheriff Al Lamberti said authorities had been working the case for about 24 hours after an armed kidnapping in North Lauderdale around 7 p.m. Thursday.
Read another story about an Amber Alert that led to a father's arrest.
Officials said Saintil got into an argument with two women and another man as they drove to Walmart in North Lauderdale Thursday. Police said Saintil pulled out his gun and forced the driver to take him to Port St. Lucie.
At Port St. Lucie, Saintil got out of the car with the baby but returned without the child, police said.
The suspect then forced one of the victims to take money out of an ATM machine at a gas station, according to Thomas Nichols, spokesman for the Port St. Lucie Police.
The victim refused to take out money and began yelling for help at the gas station leading Saintil to flee in the car and leave them behind, Nichols said.
It is unknown what happened afterward but an Amber Alert was issued Friday morning for Saintil's son.
Authorities found Saintil in the parking lot of Palm Terrace apartments with an unidentified 18-year-old woman, police said. She is being questioned by authorities.
Officials also found Saintil’s baby in the trunk of the black Kia he had been driving. An autopsy will be performed to determine the cause of his death.
"It's hard to think a father could do that to his own child," onlooker Kiky Torrez of Coral Springs said of the baby boy's death. "I mean, it's a baby, who does that?"
Court records in Broward County show Saintil has been arrested numerous times over the past six years, including charges of armed robbery and trespassing. In 2008, he was sentenced to two years in prison for grand theft, according to court records.
It wasn’t immediately known who was representing Saintil.
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