D.A. Bragg Announces Trial Conviction In Fentanyl Death Of Two-Year-Old

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr., today announced the trial conviction of ANTHONY ROSA, 56, for recklessly causing the death of his two-year-old son Charlie, who died of acute intoxication from the combined effects of cocaine and fentanyl. A New York State Supreme Court jury found ROSA guilty of Manslaughter in the Second Degree and Aggravated Harassment in the Second Degree. He is expected to be sentenced on March 29, 2026.

"A jury of his peers determined that Anthony Rosa's reckless disregard for the risk of his drug use caused the death of his two-year-old son, Charlie," said District Attorney Bragg. "Rosa was fully aware of the hazards and knew that under ACS supervision, he was not allowed to be alone with his son. The single day Rosa and Charlie were alone - while Rosa's wife gave birth to the brother Charlie will never meet - Charlie ingested enough fentanyl to kill an adult. I thank my office's Child Abuse Bureau for expertly trying this case."

As proven at trial, on June 16, 2021, ROSA and Charlie were in the waiting room in the hospital where ROSA's wife was in labor with their second child. Charlie, who was playing earlier, became lethargic after drinking from a blue baby bottle, and was nearly unconscious when ROSA took him home on a cross-town bus at approximately 10:00 p.m.

At approximately 3:00 a.m., ROSA's wife texted him to say their baby was born. ROSA responded and shared photos she sent to family and friends. Approximately an hour later, ROSA had security at the shelter where they resided call 911, saying that Charlie was unresponsive. Charlie was pronounced dead at the hospital at 5:05 a.m.

Later testing confirmed the presence of cocaine and fentanyl in Charlie's blue baby bottle, as well as fentanyl in a water bottle sitting next to it in Charlie's stroller. The Office of Chief Medical Examiner ruled that Charlie died of acute intoxication from the combined effects of cocaine and fentanyl ingested four to six hours before his death. The amount of fentanyl in Charlie's body was ten times the amount that would be used in a medical setting and would have killed an adult.

Assistant D.A.s Heather Buchanan (Chief of the Child Abuse Bureau) and Grace Lunden handled the prosecution of the case under the supervision of Assistant D.A. Shannon Lucey (Deputy Chief of the Special Victims Division) and Executive Assistant D.A. Justin McNabney (Chief of the Special Victims Division), with the assistance of Trial Preparation Assistant Grace Lillis and Major Case Analyst Desiree Marks.

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