Adrian Lujan, who is accused of strangling a 2-year-old boy to death in San Juan Bautista, faces five felony charges for the June 7 incident.
Lujan was arraigned June 10 at the Hollister courthouse on charges of murder, attempted murder, assault on a child causing death, inflicting corporal injury on a spouse or cohabitant and spousal abuse causing injury. He pleaded not guilty, according to the San Benito County Superior Court website.
Lujan is in custody at the county jail with no bail, according to jail staff. His next court appearance is scheduled for July 23 to set a date for a preliminary hearing.
On June 7, sheriff’s deputies responded to a call reporting a baby that was not breathing at a home on The Alameda. Sheriff Eric Taylor said a woman at the home had awoken to her boyfriend trying to strangle her.
The woman was able to escape the suspect, identified as Lujan, who fled the scene in a vehicle. The woman then found her 2-year-old son in another room, where his complexion was blue and he appeared to be unconscious, authorities said.
Deputies and paramedics tried to revive the child, who was transported to a hospital before he was pronounced dead, the sheriff’s office said. Evidence suggested the child had been strangled to death.
Authorities pursued Lujan and arrested him in Merced County before transporting him back to the local jail. The sheriff’s office said Lujan confessed to detectives that he killed the child.
