East Chicago man gets 16 years in infant son’s death

An East Chicago man got a maximum 16-year prison sentence Friday in a plea deal for his 2-month-old son's death.

Eric Rangel Jr., 28, signed the agreement last month admitting to aggravated battery, a Level 3 felony. He faced 3-16 years.

Deputy Prosecutor Maureen Koonce said the plea was "fair." Defense lawyer Casey McCloskey told Judge Gina Jones his client made a "terrible mistake" and "lived with the trauma of what happened."

Rangel spoke briefly.

"I was not happy when I saw this case," Jones told Rangel. The plea deal was "legally correct" but not "morally correct."

Rangel's family, angry at the outcome, said after the hearing they disputed what authorities thought happened and believed he was innocent.

Police were called on July 7, 2023, to St. Catherine's Hospital after the boy, Eric Rangel III, was pronounced dead.

The child had signs of "massive" brain bleeding and a "diffused" brain injury due to "blunt force trauma," court records show.

His weight was just below the 4th percentile, the affidavit alleges.

His co-defendant, Sandra Sosa, 24, the boy's mother, had her neglect case dismissed on Wednesday without prejudice, meaning it could be filed again.