Father charged in murders of 4-year-old son and mother in Hamilton Heights

HAMILTON HEIGHTS, Manhattan (WABC) -- The father of a child found dead along with the child's mother in the same New York City apartment was arrested and charged with murder Tuesday.

Isaac Duran Infante, 23, is charged with two counts each of first- and second-degree murder in the deaths of 32-year-old Felicia Barahona and her 4-year-old son, Miguel.

Infante is scheduled to be arraigned on Wednesday.

Their bodies were found in their Hamilton Heights apartment Monday. Felicia Barahona's body was found in the living room with an electrical cord wrapped around her neck, and Miguel was in the bathtub.

The medical examiner released the cause of death Tuesday after performing autopsies. Felicia Barahona died of ligature strangulation, and Miguel died of asphyxia due to neck compression. Their deaths were ruled homicides.

Law enforcement sources tell Eyewitness News that Infante confessed, initially blamed the devil for his gruesome actions. But he also reportedly told them he'd been angry about how Barahona had been parenting the child, particularly the clothes the boy was wearing. In an exclusive interview with Eyewitness News, Infante's brother-in-law said Barahona tightly controlled how much time Infante -- who had bi-weekly visitation rights -- could spend with his son.

"Miguel, he was cute, he was happy," Infante's brother-in-law said in an exclusive interview with Eyewitness News. "If he asked her, 'Oh, can I sleep with him today? I'll bring him to you tomorrow morning,' she said 'no, no, no, no, no.'"

It isn't clear what specifically set Infante off, but he had told his family he'd canceled a scheduled visit with his son over Christmas weekend. Sources believe both victims were likely already dead.

Barahona's family said there was a custody battle between the parents and that they had separated before Miguel was born. Their son was conceived in a scandalous affair between Barahona, then a public school teacher in the Bronx, and her teen student -- 17 years old at the time -- who became the father. The relationship led to Barahona's termination.

"They kept in contact, I don't know how well," said Jaime Bravo, Barahona's brother. "They kept in contact, and I just know they actually did talk still, a little bit."

Family members said Infante had canceled a scheduled visit with his son this past weekend. He lives in Pennsylvania.

The family said Barahona was trying to turn her life around after her termination from the school district.

BACKGROUND DETAILS: Monday morning, the building's superintendent spotted the garbage that Barahona had left sitting out since Friday and noticed that something was wrong.

"The superintendent smell something no good in the apartment, and he call the police," neighbor Segundo Duenas said. "When the cops coming, they opened the door, and they found her and the boy dead."