Father killed son to continue relationship with teenage girl, prosecutors say

Prosecutors say the father of a 3-year-old boy found dead in a New Jersey park killed the child because he had become a hindrance to the father's relationship with a teenage girl, CBS News reported.

According to Camden County prosecutors, the child, Brendan Creato, suffered "homicidal violence," meaning his death was due to either smothering or suffocation, PIX-II reported.

Creato's 17-year-old girlfriend didn't like the child and resented him having any involvement with the boy's mother, with whom Creato had shared custody.

When the girlfriend went away to college, she became upset that Creato had custody of the child every other weekend, which limited their time together, prosecutors said.

The child's body was found partially submerged in water at Cooper River Park three hours after his father had reported him missing from his Haddon Township, N.J., home.

Creato's attorney, Richard Fushino Jr., said the prosecution's case is "weak" and he will "vigorously" defend his client.

Creato was arraigned Tuesday on murder and child endangerment charges. A judge set his bail at $750,000.

Contact Caitlin Lilly at clilly@reviewjournal.com. Find her on Twitter: @caitiesmith