A cold-hearted Queens aunt accused of shaking her baby nephew so hard he got brain damage received a slap-on-the-wrist punishment today.
Susana Gil, 27, of Corona had pleaded guilty to reckless assault and admitted — through a Spanish interpreter — to shaking little Alexander Delgado inside her 103rd Street apartment until he stopped crying two days after Christmas.
Days passed before she took the 21-month-old boy — who was repeatedly vomiting and suffering from extreme lethargy — to a nearby hospital.
But the baby had pre-existing medical conditions that made it virtually impossible to tell exactly how much damage he already had and what Gil may have caused, said the judge and sources close to the case.
The boy’s previous conditions “complicated the interpretation of certain aspects of his injuries,” a source close to the case said.
Queens Supreme Court Justice Richard Buchter — who sentenced Gil to a conditional discharge and 500 hours of community service — added, “Under normal circumstances, there is usually jail time issued. … [But] there are issues with proof in this case, since the baby had pre-existing medical conditions.’’
The abusive aunt had been facing up to 25 years in prison.
She didn’t express remorse before the judge rendered her sentence.
Gil had become the caregiver of baby Alexander — who was born underweight and developmentally delayed to a drug-addicted mother — in November 2010.
She now faces possible deportation to Mexico upon completion of her sentence, and an order of protection was issued to keep her from the child, who is recovering now in foster care.
After Gil’s sentencing, a spokeswoman for Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said, “We believe the plea and sentence are a fair disposition of the case.’’