A man accused of killing his ex-girlfriend by pushing her off a 15th-floor balcony while she held onto her 8-month-old baby appeared in court for the first time.
Angel Carrasco was arraigned on charges including murder, attempted murder, manslaughter, assault and endangering the welfare of a child on Wednesday, October 14, court records viewed by Us show.
Online records indicate Carrasco, 31, pleaded not guilty to all charges.
His public defender, Nathan Karnovsky, declined a request for comment from Us on Thursday, October 15.
Carrasco attended the arraignment virtually from a hospital, where he has been undergoing psychiatric evaluations following his arrest in the October 6 death of Nathaly Ramirez, per CBS News.
Ramirez, 23, was holding her infant when Carrasco pushed her from her Bronx apartment balcony after she begged him to stop, according to authorities. He was reportedly the girl’s father.
The baby is in critical condition at a hospital, where she’s recovering, per WABC-TV.
Judge Cary Fischer has reportedly issued a protection order banning Carrasco from seeing or communicating with his daughter.
Following his arrest on October 8, Carrasco had a massive grin on his face as he was led out of a police station before his transfer to a hospital, according to footage shared by the TV station.
He was apprehended by the U.S. Marshals Service, the agency announced on October 8.
“This horrific tragedy weighs heavily on every team member who worked this case,” U.S. Marshal Ricky J. Patel said in a statement, describing Ramirez as a “brave mother who gave her life to save her child from a vicious individual.”
During a vigil for Ramirez held outside of her apartment building on Saturday, October 10, her mother said, “Before she had her daughter, she was already in love with her baby,” according to the New York Daily News.
“She was just crazy over her baby. She loved her daughter,” her mother, also named Nathaly, continued.
Ramirez was known by her loved ones as Michelle, according to a GoFundMe created in support of her daughter and family.
The page has raised 99 percent of its $35,000 goal as of the afternoon of Thursday.
“Her unexpected passing has left her family, friends, church community, and everyone who knew her grieving a devastating loss. … Michelle also knew one of life’s greatest joys in becoming a mother, and her baby girl meant everything to her. The love Michelle gave so deeply will continue to live on in the hearts of those who loved her most,” the page reads, in part.
Following Carrasco’s court appearance, he’s been ordered to be held in jail without bail, per the New York Daily News.
