Vincent Distasi, of South Setauket, pleads guilty in near-fatal beatings of 5-week-old son

A South Setauket man has pleaded guilty to first-degree assault for beating his 5-week-old son so severely the newborn was left with brain damage, Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly said Monday.

Vincent DiStasi, 33, shook, punched and smothered the infant, who continues to endure medical complications nearly 18 months after suffering weeks of violence, Donnelly said in a news release announcing the plea.

Donnelly’s office prosecuted the case against DiStasi because of an unspecified conflict of interest reported by Suffolk prosecutors, Newsday previously reported.

"Vincent Distasi is a sick and angry man who repeatedly beat up on his five-week-old son, filling that child’s first weeks on this earth with pain and violence," Donnelly said in the release.

DiStasi entered his plea before Judge Richard Ambro at Suffolk County Court in Riverhead.

He is scheduled to return to court on Aug. 4 for an expected 17-year prison sentence, plus 5 years of post-release supervision, Donnelly said

DiStasi’s actions were first discovered on Jan. 21, 2024, when his son, then just 5 weeks old, "was rushed to Stony Brook University Hospital unresponsive and required emergency brain surgery," according to the district attorney’s office.

Doctors determined the child had suffered multiple acute injuries, including a subdural hematoma, or brain bleeding, as well as fractures to his ribs and both arms, Donnelly's office said.

A criminal investigation was opened, revealing Ring video camera footage of the DiStasi family’s living room, where the father was recorded "tossing, punching, smacking, and smothering the child over the course of weeks," according to the district attorney’s release.

Investigators determined that DiStasi "violently shook" his son on Jan. 21, 2024 before the infant was rushed to the emergency room with "a near-fatal brain injury," Donnelly said.

"To this day, the child — now one and a half years old — continues to have medical complications and recently underwent another surgery on his skull to drain fluid in his brain," Donnelly added in her statement. "While he survived his father’s brutal attack, the child’s quality of life remains uncertain."

Suffolk police arrested DiStasi on Jan. 29, 2024, outside Stony Brook University Hospital, according to the district attorney’s office.

The child is in the care of his grandparents, according to the district attorney's office.

"Today was a difficult day for the DiStasi family," defense attorney Anthony LaPinta said in an emailed statement to Newsday. "Vincent has accepted responsibility for his reckless actions. He is a good natured young man who has made regrettable mistakes with tremendous consequences. He prays for his young son's continued recovery."