Father charged in murder of boy, 2, in Little Village denied bond

CHICAGO (WLS) -- A Chicago father accused in the brutal murder of his 2-year-old son was denied bond in a court appearance Friday afternoon.

Police said 37-year-old Rolando Ortiz killed his 2-year-old son, Mateo Garcia Aguayo, because the toddler was keeping him awake Wednesday afternoon in their apartment.

In the courtroom Friday, Ortiz looked down at the floor. Prosecutors said the father gave police a videotaped confession.

"The defendant re-enacted his action on that video recording using a doll to show how he slashed his son's throat," said Asst. Cook County State's Attorney Jamie Santini.

His son was 2 years old. Prosecutors said Mateo Garcia Aguayo would not fall asleep. They said the father, who works the night shift and was home alone with the boy, grew frustrated and grabbed his son.

"In that recorded interview, Rolando Ortiz admitted to killing his 2-year-old son because he was trying to sleep and the victim was not letting him," said Santini.

Police said Ortiz held him down in the kitchen, got a knife and slit the child's throat, nearly decapitating him. He then made what detectives called a weak attempt to cut his own wrists, then stuffed Mateo's body in a bag.

"The defendant admitted to kneeling on the victim and cutting his throat while holding the 2-year-old down. He admitted to placing his son in a garbage bag and that he intended to dispose of the bag in the garbage," Santini said.

Instead, police said Ortiz called his wife, who was at work, but couldn't reach her, so he called his wife's sister.

"After the murder, he called a witness and told her that his son was with god now and admitted that he had killed his son," said Santini.

Horrific details in court left the family sobbing and hugging at the courthouse.

A memorial to the boy continues to grow, a gut-wrenching reminder that something unthinkable happened at the apartment building in the Little Village neighborhood.

"Mateo wasn't old enough to make a bad decision. Mateo wasn't old enough to take the wrong path in life. He was just an innocent kid, whose trust and safety was betrayed by the one man that he should never have to question, his father, 37-year-old Rolando Ortiz," said Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson.

Ortiz fled in his car and was arrested in Kankakee County with the help of the FBI. Police said he did not have any criminal history. He has been charged with one count of felony first degree murder.

Prosecutors said the family had three children. Mateo was the youngest. They also said Ortiz and his wife work at the same factory, but work opposite shifts.

The public defender said Ortiz has been in the United States for 14 years.

Ortiz is being held without bond at the Cook County Jail.