THE BRONX — The mother of an infant who authorities say was beaten to death by her husband in December has been arrested for manslaughter, police said.
Danielle Whyte, 31, was charged in the death of her 2-month-old son Mason Whyte for leaving him in the care of her husband Jose (Alex) Feliciano despite knowing that he was a danger to the child, according to the Bronx District Attorney.
On Dec. 10, Feliciano strangled the couple's child to stop him from crying until the boy lost consciousness, after which they put his body in a duffel bag and took it upstate, according to prosecutors.
Whyte told police she told Feliciano to call 911 after he hurt their child, but he said they should not because they would get in trouble.
“I tried to revive him again, but Alex told me that the baby was gone and I should get over it,” she told police.
“He told me I could become a liability and he may have to kill me, too. I was too scared to call the police then.”
Feliciano was originally excited to have a baby and was supportive while Whyte was pregnant, but this attitude did not last very long once Mason was born, she told investigators.
“Alex began to abuse Mason when he was three weeks old,” she told police.
“Alex would get upset because the baby would cry a lot. I saw Alex choke Mason, and I saw him hit Mason. Alex would choke the baby every day.”
Whyte said she checked into the hospital after Mason’s death because she felt depressed and suicidal. She later told staffers at New York Presbyterian Hospital in White Plains about the death, and police found the infant's body in Dover.
Feliciano was indicted Tuesday for his son's death. Whyte stands accused of criminally negligent homicide, failing to seek proper medical care for her son in the wake of his injuries from Feliciano and concealing the child's corpse, prosecutors said.
Feliciano appeared in court on Tuesday and pled not guilty to the charges against him. He is due back in court on March 29 and was remanded to jail.
Whyte appeared in court on Tuesday as well, where her attorney Guy Wolfe argued that she was a victim in her son's death, despite being charged with a crime, and described her as a mother "beaming with pride, beaming with love."
"Danielle is a victim. She is truly a victim," Wolfe said. "She went through what no mother should have to go through."
Although Wolfe maintained that Whyte should be released with no bail, Judge Margaret Clancy said she would not make a decision on bail until Jan. 29, so Whyte will be held at Rikers Island until then.
Feliciano could face a life sentence if convicted on all charges, while Whyte would face up to 15 years behind bars.
