Trial of El Paso Police officer charged for death of baby son to begin Tuesday

The trial of Raymond Licon Jr., the El Paso Police officer charged with Criminal Negligent Homicide for the death of his 11-month-old child, is scheduled to begin Monday.

Opening arguments were held Tuesday in the 205th District Court inside the El Paso County Courthouse.

A complaint affidavit obtained by ABC-7 states Licon Jr. was arguing with the baby’s mother at the time the child drowned in a bathtub.

EDITOR’S NOTE: ABC-7 incorrectly reported Licon was no longer with the El Paso Police Department. The defense attorney told ABC-7 his client remains on desk duty with the department.

At the time of his arrest, Licon Jr. was a two-year-veteran of the police department assigned to the Central Regional Command. A police spokesman told ABC-7 at the time Licon Jr. was “relieved of duty,” meaning the officer was not fired and merely “stripped of his police powers.” ABC-7 has learned Licon Jr. is on desk duty.

On June 20, 2017, police and paramedics responded to 3334 Zion, apartment Q9, after the 11-month-old infant, Azrael Ezekiel Licon, was found without signs of life. Police said the investigation revealed the father, Licon Jr, was giving the child a bath in an upstairs bathroom.

The complaint affidavit obtained by ABC-7 states Licon was arguing with his ex-wife, Crystal Montenegro, via text messages. In one of the text messages, Licon Jr. told Montenegro he was giving the victim a bath, documents state. The argument then continued via a voice call, documents state.

“In the course of the text messages and voice call, the defendant forgot about the victim, whom he left in the second floor bathtub with the water running,” the affidavit states. The document further states Licon Jr. argued with his wife on the phone for 45 minutes. Police said the overflowing bathtub flooded the apartment, to the extent the water was penetrating through the ceiling into the first floor, the document states.

The father immediately called 911 and began performing CPR on the child, later transported to UMC, where he was pronounced dead. According to the affidavit, Licon Jr, off duty at the time, told investigators he blamed himself for the child’s death.

In an interview with ABC-7, the child’s maternal grandfather, George Montenegro, identified the child as Azreal Licon. “He (Licon Jr.) was fighting with my daughter over the phone. All the neighbors heard it and suddenly my grandson is dead,” Montenegro said at the time, saying the death devastated his family.

Raymond Licon is being charged with:

1) Abandon/Endanger Child Imminent Danger BI

2) Injury Child/Elderly/Disabled Reckless BI/Mental

3) Criminal Negligent Homicide

The prosecution made a very brief opening statement to a jury that consisted of five women and eight men.

In the opening statement, the prosecution concluded with a powerful accusation: “Raymond Licon caused the death of Azeal because he abandoned him and caused him to die.”

The defense declined to make an opening statement.

Trial will begin Tuesday, July 17th at 8:30 a.m.