By Howard Riedel
Buffalo, NY – Two babies died over the New Year's holiday in separate incidents that have been ruled homicides.
Xavier Garner, age 13 months, became the city of Buffalo's first homicide of 2003 at about 1am New Year's Day. Authorities got a call saying he was choking. He died of blunt force trauma at the Erie County Medical Center. Police say he had black and blue marks on his forehead.
Family members have been interviewed but no charges have yet been filed.
Meanwhile in the town of Perry, Nicole Bzduch, 18, was arraigned on second degree murder charges Wednesday in the death of her 18-month-old daughter Zoey on New Year's Eve, also from blunt force trauma.