On the early morning of August 13, 2021, Morristown Police Department responded to a report of a three-year-old boy in cardiac arrest at the Morristown Medical Center. An investigation found that the child had suffered multiple injuries, and later the autopsy determined the death was due to homicide. Earlier in the day at the OYO Hotel in East Hanover, NJ, 29-year-old Edwin Urbina had beat the child, resulting in death. The victim’s five-year-old sibling had witnessed the murder.
The children’s mother, 29-year-old Krystal Straw, arrived at the scene shortly after the incident had occurred. Straw and Urbina both removed Urbina and his belongings from the hotel, deleted any relevant cell phone content, and threatened the five-year-old to not speak about the incident. An investigation discovered that Urbina had beat the victim on multiple occasions prior to the murder.
Both Urbina and Straw were taken into custody at the Morris County Correctional Facility. On January 12, 2023, Straw appeared before the Honorable Judge Stephen J. Taylor, P.J.Cr., and pled guilty to second-degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child, third-degree Hindering Apprehension, third-degree Tampering with a Witness, and fourth-degree Tampering with Physical Evidence.
On March 1, 2023, a jury found Urbina guilty on all charges following a seven-day trial. Urbina was charged with first-degree Murder with an Aggravating Factor, second-degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child, third-degree Hindering Apprehension, third-degree Tampering with a Witness, and fourth-degree Tampering with Evidence. On March 16, 2023. Urbina and Straw will appear before Judge Taylor for their sentencing.
