Schenectady County resident Dequan Greene, age 29, of Rotterdam, was sentenced to the maximum of 25 years to life in prison in Schenectady County Court on Tuesday, Dec. 6.
It followed his September 2022 jury conviction of second-degree murder and first-degree manslaughter stemming from the death of Charlie Garay in December 2020.
Investigators determined that Charlie and his 5-year-old brother were abused for months after being placed in the care of Greene and his wife, Latrisha, by Albany Child Protective Services.
Emergency crews were called to the couple’s home on Dec. 20, 2020, after getting a 911 call about a child who was in respiratory distress.
When paramedics arrived, the boy was not breathing, police said. He later died at Ellis Hospital.
Prosecutors said Greene had stomped on the boy’s chest, causing extensive internal injuries to his liver and intestines. Greene later claimed that the boy lost consciousness after falling out of a toddler chair.
During Tuesday’s sentencing hearing, Schenectady County Judge Matthew Sypniewski had harsh words for Greene, who has maintained he is innocent.
“Not only are you a murderer, but you’re a sociopath,” Sypniewski is heard saying on video posted by the Schenectady Daily Gazette.
“That’s what you are, an absolute sociopath.”
Greene was also found guilty of two counts of endangering the welfare of a child.
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